Accused Embezzler Jalil Sobhani Threatens to Sue ICC
On August 12, 2020, the Iranian Canadian Congress received a “cease and desist” letter from Jalil Sobhani’s attorney, threatening to not only sue the organization but also all the individual board members if we continued to demand an investigation of his corruption case in Iran by the Canadian authorities. In addition, Mr. Sobhani has asked the ICC to retract our statement to the Canadian government and issue him an apology.
As you know, the ICC has been pushing for the investigation of accused Iranian embezzlers and corrupt officials investing in Canada for years. From Mahmood Khavari to Marjan Aleagha to other recent cases of individuals who have been accused of leveraging Canada’s international credibility and sound economy to launder money and invest in lucrative deals, the ICC remains committed to ensuring that embezzlers and corrupt officials cannot escape justice by fleeing to Canada.
The ICC has thus extended its call on the Canadian government to investigate these individuals including Mr. Jalil Sobhani who has migrated to Canada and is being accused of bribery, corruption, and money embezzlement in a recent high-profile corruption trial in Iran, according to several credible reports from Iranian media outlets.
Despite serious personal and financial risks associated with this work, the ICC stands firm by its mandate to fight corruption of Iranian officials who reside in Canada as a matter of public interest to the Iranian- Canadians in this country. We are determined to not allow Canada to be a safe haven for these individuals. As such, the ICC has officially informed Mr. Sobhani that any application or legal action commenced by him will be vigorously defended in court.
Having the overwhelming and generous support of the Iranian-Canadian community, the ICC has launched a dedicated fund to combat “dirty money” and to investigate alleged corrupt individuals including Mr. Sobhani who migrated to Canada from Iran.
However, we need your support to not only defend ourselves against such efforts to silence us but also continue to do the important work of fighting for justice and transparency for the Iranian Canadian community.
In this dedicated fund, your donations will go towards:
- Funding our legal team;
- Hiring investigators to look into accused individuals including Mr. Sobhani’s case, the corruption, bribery and money embezzlement allegations and their alleged connections to their presence and activities in Canada.
- Reaching out to Canadian media and inform them about the problem of money laundering and foreign corrupt money in Canada
- Providing reports on donations and expenditures from this dedicated fund