AFP:
Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi accused Swedish cosmetics firm Oriflame on Saturday of trying to harm Iran’s security after five of its employees were arrested amid allegations of espionage.
“Oriflame intended to fight the (Iranian) system. There are no economic reasons behind the company,” Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi was quoted by state television as telling reporters at the Imam Khomeini mausoleum in Tehran.
“We realised through the evidence that the arrogance (Western powers) and intelligence agencies sought to create security problems for the country through this company,” he said.
In Stockholm, an Oriflame representative said the firm is not involved in any political activities.
“We are a cosmetics company, we are selling direct. We are of course not involved in any political activities in the country (Iran). It is very very difficult to comment on” the accusations, chief financial officer Gabriel Bennet told AFP.
Iranian authorities on August 22 closed the Tehran office of the direct-sales cosmetics firm and arrested five of its employees amid allegations that it was running a pyramid scheme and was possibly backed by a spy agency.
One of those being held is a dual Swedish-Iranian national.
Oriflame says it has not yet received information as to why its office was shuttered and its employees detained.
“It’s very difficult to comment on this because we don’t know why our colleagues have been detained, we don’t know why the company has been shut down,” Bennet said.
Logo from Oriflame