Thievery By Governance

A paper closely affiliated with current Tehran Mayor (and Ahmadinejad opponent) Mohammed Qalibaf reports that there is a whopping $66 billion deficit between the amount deposited in Iran's Central Bank by the Ahmadinejad administration and state revenues that were publicly reported by the administration. The majority of the difference (some $35 billion) comes from inconsistencies in amounts reported and deposited with respect to imports and customs. (There was a $25 billion difference in the petroleum revenue figures).

Qalibaf's office is already auditing the accounts of the Mayor's office between the years of 2003-2005, which is when Ahmadinejad held the post. There is an estimated $300 million dollars missing during those two years.

So much for the Robin Hood, steal-from-the-rich, give-to-the-poor image Ahmadinejad constructs for himself.