Ex-Iran bank chief found with $70 mn cheque

1 min read 04 Feb 2013, 01:31 PM IST Join us

AFP

Tahmasb Mazaheri said cheque was designed to finance the Venezuelan govt’s construction of 10,000 homes

A file photo of former Iranian central bank governor Tahmasb Mazaheri in Tehran. Photo: AFP (AFP) — A file photo of former Iranian central bank governor Tahmasb Mazaheri in Tehran. Photo: AFP
**(AFP)**

Berlin: The former head of Iran’s central bank, Tahmasb Mazaheri, has been found in possession of a cheque worth €54 million ($70 million) by German authorities, the Bild am Sonntag weekly reported.

Mazaheri, in charge of the central bank until 2008, was searched by customs officers at Dusseldorf airport on 21 January after arriving aboard a flight from Turkey, the Sunday paper said.

The cheque, with a value of 300 million Venezuelan bolivars, was discovered in his hand luggage, according to the report.

The German customs office is investigating whether the cheque was part of a money-laundering operation.

After the report was published, Mazaheri said that the cheque was designed to finance the Venezuelan government’s construction of 10,000 homes.

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