Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaeili announced on Saturday that Judge Gholamreza Mansouri is currently held by the International Criminal Police Organization, known as Interpol.

“This person is in the custody of Interpol in Romania and the necessary arrangements have been made to extradite him; but given that the country does not have foreign flights at all due to the coronavirus, the move will be done with a delay and we hope that the bilateral cooperation will continue,” Esmaeili said, according to Press TV.

Mansouri is implicated in a major ongoing financial corruption case involving Akbar Tabari, former deputy head of the Judiciary for executive affairs.

On Thursday, Iran called on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to help the Islamic Republic arrest the criminals who have fled the country and return the money they have embezzled.

The Islamic Republic’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi said that he has asked the new UNODC executive director to get involved in the issue and have the Iranian criminals arrested and extradited, according to Tasnim News Agency.

In a message on his Instagram page, Gharibabadi said some convicts have looted people’s property and now take refuge in the safe haven of some Western countries.

On Monday, Iran’s Judiciary Chief Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi ordered bringing back and prosecuting the criminals convicted of financial crimes who have fled the country to escape justice.

“Those facing charges must surrender to justice and know that they cannot escape justice,” the top judge stressed.

Raeisi also lashed out at certain Western states for harboring criminals and fugitives who have fled Iran.

“One of the examples of injustice and major cruelties to humanity is that a number of countries claiming to fight against organized corruption and money-laundering have sheltered economic criminals and their dirty money,” the Judiciary chief added.

Since August 2018, Iran’s Judiciary has been holding public trials of individuals involved in major economic corruption cases.