Arrest of city councillors latest sign of Iranian municipal corruption

The political and security deputy goveor of East Azerbaijan said two members of Tabriz City Council have been arrested but did not comment on the charges.

Saeed Shabastri told the Mehr News Agency on Monday April 4 that in the past two days, two City Council members have been arrested and the charges against them will be aounced by the Justice Department.

The head of the Easte Azerbaijan Justice Department had commented on the arrest of one City Council member, saying that the charges were related to bribery and corruption.

City councils in Iran have been widely affected by corruption, and last year, seven members of the Sirjan City Council in Kerman Province were also arrested on corruption charges.

In 2013, Transparency Inteational ranked Iran 144 among 177 countries in terms of the perception of corruption.