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National Security 2020: Al Jazeera Investigations – Fake Diplomats for Sale

Dominican diplomatic Diplomats

An Iranian with Dominican diplomatic passport to Malaysia caught for embezzlement of Iranian oil revenues. Image source: The Dominican Net

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This was a very interesting piece of an investigation by Al Jazeera which involves the sale of diplomatic passport by some Caribbean countries to people who are not real diplomats or not locals and are not from the said country.

Such sale of diplomatic passports also tarnishes the integrity and the good name of the host countries that these fake diplomats with dubious intentions are stationed to. One of them was an Iranian Ali Reza Monfared who held Dominican diplomatic passport to Malaysia.

In 2015, Monfared had secured a Dominican diplomatic passport and, with it, what he treasured most of all – diplomatic immunity.

In November 2019, Monfared was convicted of embezzling millions of dollars from his country, just one of the strands in a global web of financial, diplomatic and personal fraud that saw him sentenced to 20 years in prison and a $1.3bn fine.

It could have been worse. In 2016, Monfared’s billionaire business partner, Babak Zanjani, was sentenced to death for his role in the siphoning off of $2.8bn from Iranian oil revenues.

(Source)

Such allegations should put host countries on their toes so that only genuine diplomats vetted and allowed to come to the host countries. These diplomats with diplomatic passports must work for the best interest of their home country and their host country.

The last thing we need is to have dubious businessmen, criminals and even terrorists coming to the country with diplomatic passports and able to escape the long arm of the law under the disguise of diplomatic immunity and special privileges.

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