Tehran grills ex-prosecutor over video

AP

In this Sunday, April 19, 2009 photo, former Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi, gestures, during a news conference, in Tehran, Iran. Mortazavi, a close ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was arrested, two years after a parliamentary probe found him responsible for deaths by torture of at least three jailed anti-government protesters, state media reported. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Tehran's ex-prosecutor, freed on Wednesday after a brief detention, was questioned over an alleged bribery case central to a row between Iran's president and an influential political family, an official statement said.

Saeed Mortazavi was arrested late Monday for his role in procuring a video recording which allegedly incriminates Fazel Larijani, a brother of parliament speaker Ali Larijani and judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, the statement from the office of Tehran prosecutor said.

A controversial ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mortazavi was charged and questioned over the case, and released on bail Wednesday, the statement said.

The video was broadcast at a raucous parliamentary session on Sunday when Ahmadinejad accused speaker Ali Larijani and his family of nepotism and corruption.

The recording shows Fazel, an ex-diplomat brother of the speaker, allegedly attempting to bribe Mortazavi at his office, for political support from the parliament and the judiciary.

The statement on Wednesday said Fazel had also been questioned over the content of the video. It said investigations into the case were continuing.

Mortazavi was detained at Tehran's notorious Evin prison, where many political prisoners and journalists have been imprisoned over years on his orders.

His arrest was severely criticised by Ahmadinejad as a “very ugly action.”

Mortazavi is best known for his seven-year tenure as Tehran's prosecutor until August 2010, when he was suspended as a judge after a parliamentary probe found him responsible for sending anti-government protesters to Kahrizak, a detention centre south of Tehran.

Three protesters died in prison there, in the aftermath of the disputed 2009 presidential election that re-elected Ahmadinejad.

Mortazavi is also subject to US sanctions over “sustained and severe violations of human rights” as prosecutor.

Despite strong opposition from the parliament, Mortazavi is caretaker of Iran's wealthy social welfare organisation. Before his post there, the 55-year old was in charge of Iran's task force against smuggling. - Sapa-AFP