Iran Minister Impeached For Deception

Iran's parliament impeached the country's interior minister for deception Tuesday in a vote widely seen as a defeat for hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Parliament's no-confidence vote for Ali Kordan comes after he admitted he had a fake degree from Oxford University.

The dismissal is the first high-profile political battle between the new parliament and Ahmadinejad and was seen a vote of no-confidence to Ahmadinejad's administration.

Of the 247 lawmakers who attended the open session, 188 voted against Kordan - including many hard-liners. Forty-five parliament members voted in favor of Kordan and 14 abstained.

The confrontation between the conservative-dominated parliament and Ahmadinejad intensified on Sunday after the president called the impeachment illegal. Ahmadinejad refused to show up to Tuesday's hearing to defend Kordan in an apparent protest to the impeachment.

On Tuesday, parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani, strongly rejected Ahmadinejad's assertion.

"It is very clear that the impeachment is legal," Larijani told the chamber.

Conservative lawmaker Bijan Nobaveh said the no-confidence vote should be seen as defending the parliament's prestige and credibility.

During Kordan's confirmation debate, numerous lawmakers argued Kordan was unqualified for the ministry post, some claiming that his Oxford degree was a fake. Kordan was approved Aug. 5 by a relatively slim margin of around 160 of the 269 lawmakers present, a reflection of the concerns.

Kordan initially tried to back his case that his degree was real. The Interior Ministry put out a certificate, with an Oxford seal and dated June 2000, aiming to prove its authenticity. But it was riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes.

Kordan later admitted it was a fake degree after Oxford issued a statement denying it ever awarded an honorary doctorate of law to the minister.

Ahmadinejad defended Kordan amid the debates, dismissing degrees in general as "torn paper" not necessary for serving the people.

Legislators also were offended last week after a government official tried to pay legislators not to vote for Kordan's impeachment. The attempt promoted one hard-line lawmaker to slap the official, Mohammad Abbasi, in the face.

The scandal forced Ahmadinejad to dismiss Abbasi, but some lawmakers have suggested that the official would not have tried to persuade lawmakers without orders from higher officials.