London- Asharq Al Awsat

Former Iranian Vice President Hamid Baghaei sent a letter to Commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Quds Force General Qasem Soleimani demanding that he "refutes" charges from the Revolutionary Guards' judiciary and intelligence regarding his embezzlement of 3.5 million euros, which were presented by Quds Force to African leaders.

He said last month that accusing him of confiscating the funds of the Quds Force proves the involvement of IRGC commanders, calling for bringing them to court.

Quds Force, for its part, did not comment on this request.

In a letter to Soleimani, Baghaei accused Head of Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Hussein Taib of lying. He was accused of stealing 3.5 million euros and $570,000 of IRGC’s money.

"The charge of handing over money in foreign currency after the end of the tenth government's mission, in order for the intelligence to give it to the leaders of African countries, in fact exposes you and your group to accountability, which means you are offering money illegally to people who have no legal responsibility,” Baghaei told Soleimani.

The past months have seen a sharp verbal attack between Ahmadinejad and the Iranian judiciary, headed by Sadiq Larijani. The parties threatened to prosecute each other.

In an unprecedented move in Iran, Ahmadinejad last month sent a letter to Khamenei, urging him to carry out his responsibilities, hold urgent presidential and parliamentary elections, dismiss head of the judiciary, and amend the Iranian constitution.

The IRGC intelligence said that, on August 5, 2013, Baghaei got the money that it was planning to offer as a gift to African leaders, pointing out that he was not in any legal position at the time.