The "Plan to Combat Economic Crimes," intended to serve as a replacement for the Law on Punishment of Disruptors of the Economic System (enacted in 1990), is currently on the agenda of the Legal and Judicial Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (the Iranian Parliament).
Recently, at the invitation of the esteemed head of the Legal and Judicial Support Commission of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, I had the privilege, as a researcher, to prepare an analytical and expert report on the impacts of this proposed plan on the country's business environment.
The goal of this plan is a decisive fight against corruption and economic disruption—an objective undoubtedly supported by all legitimate and healthy economic actors. However, a close examination of the text raises deep concerns for the private sector.
In the prepared report, I have detailed how certain articles of this plan, despite their good intentions, could become a serious obstacle to production, innovation, and investment due to the extreme criminalization of conventional business activities.
Some Key Concerns:
(Article 1, Clause B): Ambiguity in the definitions of "hoarding" and "forward purchasing" practically exposes a factory's "strategic stockpiling of raw materials" or "supply chain risk management" to heavy criminal charges.
(Article 1, Clauses T and P): The criminalization of "issuing payment instruments without a license" and the overly broad definition of "digital money" (including cryptocurrencies) could paralyze innovation in the vital Fintech sector and the startup ecosystem.
(Article 1, Clause Ch): This clause equates the risk of "commercial failure" in fundraising with the risk of "economic crime" (carrying heavy penalties), effectively blocking non-banking financing routes.
(Article 1, Clause Th): The criminalization of "publishing targeted false news" could lead to the suppression of economic analysts and specialized media, destroying market transparency; meanwhile, anonymous information channels on Telegram or other platforms would continue to comment freely.
For a more detailed review, you can download the full text of the proposed plan and the submitted analytical report from the links below:
Plan to Combat Economic Crimes: https://lnkd.in/dU68rDYg
Link to Analytical Report: https://lnkd.in/dDb8gxvV
I invite all colleagues, entrepreneurs, lawyers, and economic activists, after reading the plan and the report, to send me their opinions, analyses, and concrete examples (especially if your business is directly affected) via private message.
Your valuable feedback will be used in a supplementary report to be presented to the specialized commissions of the Iranian Parliament and the Iran Chamber of Commerce.
Written by Reza Bastani Namaghi
Back to Home
