Iran arrests family of influential religious figure in land graft probe

The family of Ayatollah Kazem Sedighi, a highly influential religious figure and Tehran's Friday prayer Imam, has been apprehended in Iran in connection with a substantial land corruption investigation.

The arrests follow earlier confirmations regarding the detention of two of Sedighi's sons, Caliber.Az reports per Iranian media. 

It has since been revealed that the Imam's daughter-in-law was also taken into custody. The arrests stem from a case dating back to 2023, in which Ayatollah Sedighi himself, along with his two sons and daughter-in-law, were implicated. The allegations involve the illegal appropriation of state-owned lands located in northern Tehran. The estimated value of these properties reportedly exceeds a staggering $20 million.

By Naila Huseynova