Iran’s Ahmadinejad accuses Britain of influencing judiciary

Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused Britain of influencing the decisions of the Iranian judiciary. He made his comments following the arrest of two of his aides, one of whom, Esfandiar Rahim Mashae, was detained after criticising the British government.

“Why would anyone’s objection to the British government’s intervention in Iran’s internal affairs lead to judicial anger and his arrest?” he asked.

Hamid Baghaei and Mashae, who both served as Vice Presidents during Ahmadinejad’s term in office, have been sent to prison on corruption charges.

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Shortly before his arrest, Mashae took part in a demonstration in front of the British Embassy in Tehran, during which he criticised the decision to arrest Baghaei as a “British conspiracy”.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, visited Tehran in December last year. Ahmadinejad has called for the transcripts of his talks with Iranian officials to be published and investigated.