Iran holds ex-central bank deputy, judiciary says
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DUBAI - Iran has arrested seven people including a former deputy central bank governor and five foreign exchange dealers for alleged economic crimes, the judiciary said on Sunday as the country prepares to face a return of US sanctions.
"The foreign exchange deputy of the central bank ..., who recently I heard has been deposed, has been detained," judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei told state television.
Ejei did not name the official but he appeared to be referring to Ahmad Araghchi, who some media reports had said was dismissed as deputy central bank governor after a wide public outcry and street protests over a rapid fall of Iran's currency.
The rial currency has lost about half of its value since April because of a weak economy and heavy demand for dollars among Iranians who fear the effects of crippling US sanctions.
The central bank last week blamed "enemies" for the fall of the currency and a rapid rise in the prices of gold coins and the judiciary said 29 people had been arrested on charges that carry the death penalty.
