Iran’s oil minister accuses former officials of $2.7 billion oil fraud
Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh has claimed that former ministers under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration cooperated with billionaire Babak Zanjani to steal $2.7 billion in government money.
![Iranian Oil Minister Zanganeh talks to journalists as he arrives at his hotel ahead of an OPEC meeting in Vienna Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh talks to journalists as he arrives at his hotel ahead of an OPEC meeting in Vienna December 3, 2013. Iran will take six months after sanctions are lifted to return to full oil output capacity of 4 million barrels per day, Zanganeh said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTX1626B](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2014/08/RTX1626B.jpg/RTX1626B.jpg?h=c2c5b897&itok=Q4xowXxg)
Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh accused officials from Iran’s previous administration of giving $2.7 billion worth of oil and loans to former businessman and billionaire Babak Zanjani with an understanding that revenue from the sale would never be returned to the Oil Ministry.
“Some took [the oil] and did not give the money back, and it was never even agreed for them to give the money back,” Zanganeh said in a television interview. “They didn’t make a mistake. It was intentional. The team of Babak Zanjani that took [the oil] did not want to give back the money.”