"[3] The scandal has also been called "politically sensitive", involving Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, opposed by conservatives.
[7] The investigation determined that businessman Mahafarid Amir Khosravi had masterminded the scheme, with his Aria Investment Development Company being the primary recipient of the loans.
[10][11] On 3 October 2011, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told the viewers of Iranian state TV, "People should know all these (responsible) will be pursued.
[citation needed] Ahmad Tavakkoli, a member of parliament, said on 18 September 2011 that the embezzlement of 28 trillion rials (3,000 billion toman) is an intolerable scandal, adding that if administration officials are not able to handle the affairs, they should step down.
[12] With reference to top ranking Iranian government officials, the judiciary mentioned earlier that such a high level of corruption couldn’t have occurred without the support of various people, according to the Reuters report.
[13] According to Al Jazeera, a defendant argued that senior officials associated with the scandal had walked away, while individuals with low-level involvement had been intensely prosecuted by the judiciary.