That government was, firstly, corrupt: financially corrupt; ethically corrupt; and corrupt in administrative affairs. In the financial corruption, it suffices to remind that the Shah himself and his family were involved in most of the major economic transactions of the country. He and his brothers and sisters were among those who accumulated the most of personal wealth. In his sixteen or seventeen-year kingdom, Reza Khan accumulated important wealth. It is interesting to know that some of the cities of this country, in the bill of sale, were wholly properties of Reza Khan! For example, the city of Fariman was Reza Khan's property! The best of estate and lands in this country belonged to him. He was interested in these things and in jewelry.
Of course, his children had a wider taste; they loved and gathered every kind of capital! The best proof to that is that when they left the country, billions of dollars of their wealth were accumulated in foreign banks! A political system that was so financially corrupt at its head, look how military-oriented it was and what it did to the people! They were also morally corrupt. Trafficking gangs were under the control of his [Shah’s] brothers and sisters. In terms of ethical and sexual issues, there were cases that telling and hearing them will make a man sweat in shame.
Imam Khamenei, Feb 2, 1999
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