Central Bank of Iran governor discharged over illegal money withdrawal

TEHRAN,Jan.22(MNA) – Central Bank of Iran Governor Mahmoud Bahmani has been dismissed from his post, Rahmatollah Sharifi, an official at the Supreme Audit Court of Iran said on Monday. According to the report, he was dismissed due to the fact that the central bank had illegally withdrawn money from certain state and private banks without notifying them in advance. Speaking to the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency, Sharifi said that Bahmani has appealed against the ruling, but the request has not been officially submitted to the court yet. On Sunday, Ebrahim Darvishi, an official at the central bank, said that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had rejected Bahmani’s request that he be allowed to retire. Darvishi had also dismissed the speculation that there was a link between Bahmani’s request for retirement and the decision by the Majlis to launch an investigation of the Central Bank of Iran, which was approved by MPs on Sunday.