Ahmadinejad's Assets

Here's what President Ahmadinejad is worth:

• A 40-year-old house of 127 sq.m. situated on a 175 sq.m. lot in Tehran's Narmak area
• A current bank account containing his salary as a university professor
  
• An empty bank account for the time he served as governor general of Ardebil
  
• A 1977 Peugeot-504 automobile
  
• Two fixed telephone lines

According to Iran's constitution, all members of the executive cabinet must prior to, and after, their tenure submit a detailed list of all assets to the judiciary. This process serves to ensure the legitimacy of assets accumulated throughout the terms of elected and appointed officials.

However, President Ahmadinejad, in an unprecedented move, has turned over his list to both the media and the judiciary, in hopes of promoting economic transparency among government officials. Furthermore, the Majlis (parliament) is considering approving a bill that will oblige all authorities to follow suit.

One of Ahmadinejad's campaign promises was to confront economic corruption. Not long ago, the president had announced on IRIB that he possessed a list of government officials who have engaged in embezzlement of public funds. Before these names could be revealed, the head of Iran's judiciary denied any such list existed. Shortly thereafter, while Ahmadinejad was on a trip to the Sistan-Baluchistan province to examine the problems of this oft-neglected region, an assassination attempt was made on his life. A driver and a bodyguard were killed.

Despite news reports attributing the murders to general insecurity in the region, some speculation exists among Iranians that the incident may have been premeditated; perhaps an effort by the undisclosed embezzlers to keep the president's nose out of their affairs.

In today's Iran Daily, Government Spokesman Gholamhossein Elham is quoted as saying, "Judicial officials are dutybound to announce this list and this has nothing to do with executive officials."