Tehran Mayor Gets 5 Years In Prison

July, 24, 1998 A.D.:
Tehran Mayor Gets 5 Years In Prison

By: Mir M.Hosseini

An Iranian court convicted the Tehran Mayor on charges of corruption and mismanagement, sentenced him to five years in prison and barred him from public office until 2018. Trial of the Mayor, Gholamhossein Karabaschi, a close ally of President, Mohammad Khatami. was evaluated in Iran as politically motivated.
Mr. Khatami won the presidential election with support of nearly %70 of voters in 1997, although his authority as President is limited. Since he took office last August, he had to deal with shadow power centers alongside institutions, including the Parliament, the judiciary and the office of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, all of which are dominated by far more conservative figures.
In June, his Interior Minister Abdullah Nouri was impeached by Parliament members accusing him of being too permissive in allowing student organizations to conduct street demonstrations.