The corruption case at the National Iranian Oil Company is expanding in a sensational manner. In a private meeting held by the Minister of Oil with several members of Parliament, Behzad Shamsi, the financial manager of the company, was introduced as the primary suspect in a specific case that, according to the minister, involves figures in the billions of dollars.
Widespread Violations and Managerial Weaknesses
The Minister of Oil, Paknejad, implicitly confirmed the occurrence of widespread violations in this meeting and identified serious weaknesses in the financial and supervisory structure of the National Iranian Oil Company as one of the main factors of the crisis. According to him, the financial and supervisory system of the company failed to timely identify the violations attributed to the former international affairs manager, which led to the halt of oil shipments and an increase in the volume of damages.
Paknejad also expressed concern about the possibility of collusion between the former international affairs manager and Behzad Shamsi. However, what has drawn attention are the audited financial reports that have faced a disapproval for the first time; this issue has raised serious questions regarding the performance of the financial structure and internal controls of the National Iranian Oil Company.
Is Shamsi Merely a Victim?
Now the question arises whether Behzad Shamsi is merely a victim of a system and managerial weaknesses that failed to identify the former manager's violations, or as suggested in this meeting, is there a specific financial or managerial connection between the two? In any case, the responsibility for the lack of oversight and management that has led to damages of several tens of billions of dollars lies with the Minister of Oil.
