Rafsanjani's son denies theft charges

TEHRAN, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A son of influential Iranian cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani denied allegations he was linked to the embezzlement of $2 million in fuel assets.

Hamzeh Karami, one of the defendants standing trial in Tehran for his alleged role in post-election unrest, told the court that Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani embezzled $2 million in assets from the Iranian Fuel Conservation Organization to help finance the 2005 presidential campaign of his father.

Mehdi said the allegations were an "outright lie," noting the strict oversight regulations of senior authorities in Tehran made it impossible to embezzle such a substantial sum, state-funded broadcaster Press TV reports.

Mehdi was linked to a scandal involving French energy giant Total, which allegedly transferred considerable sums of money into bank accounts that he controlled.

He in turn called authorities to investigate the $2 million embezzlement claim, as well as $340 million missing from the coffers of the governor's office in Tehran in 2005, where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had served as mayor.

Mehdi complained the allegations were raised only in the wake of complaints filed by Ahmadinejad against the Hashemi family for defamation during the 2009 presidential debates.

"It is worthy of note that this move has only taken place after the family of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani sent a complaint against Mr. Ahmadinejad to the judiciary," he said.