TEHRAN - Tehran's maverick mayor returns to court on Thursday for the verdict in his corruption trial, a case so politically charged even by Iranian standards that it has obscured the underlying offences.

Gholamhossein Karbaschi, a powerful supporter of President Mohammad Khatami, is due in court to hear the ruling on charges of embezzling more than $4.83 million, bribery and mismanagement.

His backers say the suspended mayor has been framed by a conservative-run judiciary out to crush an upstart rival. At worst, they say, he was simply "careless" with red tape in his drive to get things done.

But his critics charge he rode roughshod over opponents, looted city coffers and enriched himself, his business associates and political cronies. Members of the hardline Ansar-e Hizbollah faction have even called for his execution.

"No one is interested in the rights or wrongs of the mayor's actions," said one political commentator, who asked not to be identified. "This is a battle in the political war between supporters of President Khatami and the conservatives."

"It is about time Khatami shows his voters he can do more than absorb the punches," said one senior Western diplomat. "Seeing Karbaschi in jail will not inspire confidence."

Fearful of Deepening Political Crisis, Majlis Conditionally Approves Khatami's Nominee, Agence France Press, July 22

TEHRAN - Iran's President Mohammad Khatami scored a political victory on Wednesday when the conservative-led parliament approved his nominee for the post of interior minister.

The approval of Abdol-Vahed Mussavi-Lari, one of Khatami's closest aides and allies, had apparently been agreed Tuesday evening between the Khatami government and the powerful conservative faction in an effort to avert another political crisis, Iranian press reports said.

"The majority of MPs decided to approve Mussavi-Lari in order not to worsen tensions," said Mohammad-Reza Bahonar, a conservative member of parliament who had played a major role in pushing Nuri out of office.

"But if we have the same problems we had before, the parliamentary majority will treat Mussavi-Lari just as we did his predecessor," he added.

Nuri was ousted by parliament for having "damaged security" in the country, as well as for his close association with Tehran's mayor.

Bahais Say Iran Executes Member Of Their Faith, Reuters, July 22

PARIS - French members of the Bahai faith said on Wednesday that one of their co-religionists was executed in Iran on Tuesday, the first Bahai executed by the fundamentalist-ruled state since 1992.

"The execution of Ruhu'llah Rawhani follows a long series of persecutions against Iranian Bahais...and is of serious concern to Bahais in France and elsewhere," a statement said.

The dead man was identified as a 52-year-old father of four and the statement said it appeared he had been hanged on charges of converting a young Moslem woman to the Bahai faith.

The statement said the young woman denied she had been converted since her mother was a Bahai and she was raised in the faith.

Retrial Begins for German Sentenced to Death, Agence France Presse, July 22

TEHRAN - The retrial of German businessman Helmut Hofer, condemned to death for having sexual relations with a Moslem woman by another court in January, began in a Tehran courtroom Wednesday, his lawyer said.

But the court immediately adjourned after the woman alleged to have had an affair with him failed to turn up for the hearing, the lawyer told AFP.

Iran's Deadly Roads, Reuters, July 22

TEHRAN - Iran's roads, overwhelmed by vehicle traffic and plagued by poor drivers, claim more than 30 crash victims each day, the head of the Traffic Coordination Council was quoted as saying.

General Director Mohammad Raoufi told the Iran Daily that figures for the first two months of the Iranian year starting March 21, show an average of 32 traffic deaths per day, or 11,680 a year.

Raoufi cited lack of proper driver training and a road system unable to keep pace with the increasing number of vehicles for the poor safety record. Inadequate public transport has forced more and more commuters to rely on private cars, further taxing the highway and road system.
 

 
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