Arif Durrani

Arif Ali Durrani (born c. 1949 in Pakistan) is a Pakistani businessman who has twice been convicted by US courts of selling arms to Iran.

Background

Durrani was the son of a Pakistan Army ordnance officer who passed away in 1971. Durrani moved to the United States in 1973, settling first in New York and later California.[1] He gained an MBA from the University of Southern California.[2]

Career

In February 1984 Durrani formed a company, Merex Corp, which traded in parts for military and commercial aircraft, and by his own account reached sales of $16m in 1986.[1][2] He was arrested in October 1986 and subsequently convicted of trading Hawk missile parts to Iran, in what Durrani maintained were actions authorised by leading US government figures (specifically, Oliver North) as part of the Iran-Contra affair with the specific aim of his shipment leading to the freeing of US hostages held in Lebanon.[1][3][4] In denying Durrani bail, the judge described him as "enjoy[ing] an exorbitant lifestyle replete with material luxuries and one which causes him to travel the globe to meet with his business associates."[2] Durrani was sentenced to 10 years (and a $2m fine), and released after five years, in September 1992.[1][5] Durrani said that many of his deals were financed via Bank of Credit and Commerce International.[6] Durrani continued to protest his innocence after his release, arguing that he was working on transactions approved by the US and Israeli governments.[7]

On 30 September 1992, Durrani testified to the United States House of Representatives' October Surprise Task Force regarding public statements he made that members of Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign met with Iranian officials to influence the outcome of the 1980 United States presidential election by delaying the release of American hostages.[8] He had previously told journalists Robert Parry and Robert Ross that the head of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rafiqdust, told him of a meeting between Iranian and United States officials in Madrid, Spain.[9] In an on-camera interview for Frontline aired in April 1991, Durrani elaborated stating that Rafiqdust, Mohsen Reza'i, and officials with the Revolutionary Guards told him a meeting between Mehdi Karroubi and Central Intelligence Agency Director William Casey in Spain.[10] According to Gary Sick, Durrani had learned about the meeting from Rafiqdust, Reza'i, and Hamid Nagashian.[11] Durrani recanted these claims during his deposition to the Task Force.[8] He denied telling Robert Parry and Robert Ross that his contacts with the Revolutionary Guard told him about meetings between Iranian and US officials, said his on-air comments had been taken out of context or that he had misunderstood the reporter's question, and said that Sick's report was "incorrect".[8]

In 2006 Durrani was again convicted of selling arms to Iran,[12] and sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.[13] In 2007, he was in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution, Victorville.[14] Durrani was released from prison on May 5, 2016.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Los Angeles Times, 3 October 1998, Inquiry Aims at Convicted Arms Dealer
  2. ^ a b c Associated Press, 12 December 1986, Documents Reveal Arms Dealer Lived The Good Life
  3. ^ The New York Times, 4 December 1987, Court Rejects Appeal of Pakistani Who Cited North in Arms Deals
  4. ^ Associated Press, 5 February 1987, Pakistani Arms Dealer Claims He Worked To Free Hostages
  5. ^ Lyn Bixby, Hartford Courant, 28 October 1992, Life In The Fast Lane, Then Slow Years In Jail
  6. ^ Beaty, Jonathan & Gwynne, S. C. (24 June 2001). "Scandals: Not Just a Bank". Time.
  7. ^ Alan A. Block, "The Origins of IRAN-CONTRA: Lessons from the Durrani Affair", p2; in Frank Bovenkerk and Michael Levi (eds, 2007), The Organized Crime Community: Essays in Honor of Alan A. Block, Springer
  8. ^ a b c Task Force to Investigate Certain Allegations Concerning the Holding of American Hostages by Iran in 1980 (3 January 1993). Joint report of the Task Force to Investigate Certain Allegations Concerning the Holding of American Hostages by Iran in 1980 ("October Surprise Task Force"). Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. pp. 96, 136. hdl:2027/mdp.39015060776773. OCLC 27492534. H. Rept. No. 102-1102.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "October Surprise Task Force" 1993, pp. 75.
  10. ^ "October Surprise Task Force" 1993, pp. 75, 130.
  11. ^ "October Surprise Task Force" 1993, pp. 130.
  12. ^ U-T San Diego, 18 March 2006, Arms dealer guilty of illegally exporting military hardware Archived 5 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Associated Press, military.com, 18 July 2006, Retired Officer Sentenced in Arms Deal
  14. ^ https://efoia.bis.doc.gov/index.php/documents/export-violations/371-e1079/file
  15. ^ "BOP: Federal Inmates by Name".

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