IRAN NO LONGER FOR THE CORRUPT " CORRUPTION IS THE LUBRICANT OF 
THE IRANIAN ECONOMY, " A DIPLOMAT IN TEHERAN ONCE OBSERVED . 
DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE PISHKASH (BRIBE), JUSTICE WAS BOUGHT 
AND SOLD, TAX RIGHTS WERE PURCHASED, GOVERNMENT JOBS AUCTIONED OFF, CONTRACTS 
GIVEN, AND CONSCRIPTION WAS WAIVED . SPORADIC EFFORTS BY SHAH MOHAMMED 
REZA PAHLEVI TO CLEAN THINGS UP USUALLY ENDED DISMALLY IN A 
DISASTROUS SERIES OF ACQUITTALS, AND CASES DROPPED FOR LACK OF EVIDENCE 
. BUT TEN MONTHS AGO, NEW PREMIER ASSADOLLAH ALAM PLEDGED TO 
UNDERTAKE " AN ANTICORRUPTION CAMPAIGN WITH GREAT DILIGENCE AND ALL SEVERITY 
. " THOUGH THE CYNICAL SNICKERED, ALAM GOT FREE REIN FROM 
THE SHAH, CAREFULLY BEGAN BUILDING AIRTIGHT CASES AGAINST SUSPECTED GRAFTERS AMONG 
IRAN'S LEADING BUREAUCRATS AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS . HIS FIRST MAJOR TARGET 
WAS GENERAL MOHAMMED ALI KHAZAI, THE IRANIAN ARMY'S CHIEF OF ORDNANCE, 
WHO HAD PARLAYED HIS $6,000 SALARY INTO THREE HOUSES IN THE 
SUBURBS OF TEHERAN, FOUR APARTMENT HOUSES IN FRANCE, FIVE AUTOMOBILES, $100,000 
IN EUROPEAN BANKS AND $200,000 IN CASH . A MILITARY COURT 
CONVICTED KHAZAI OF TAKING A CUT OUT OF GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS AND 
SENTENCED HIM TO FIVE YEARS OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT . LAST WEEK 
ALAM'S ANTICORRUPTION DRIVE WAS IN FULL SWING . IN TEHERAN, A 
MILITARY TRIBUNAL SENTENCED GENERAL ABDULLAH HEDAYAT, IRAN'S FIRST FOUR-STAR GENERAL AND 
ONCE A CLOSE ADVISER OF THE SHAH, TO TWO YEARS IN 
PRISON FOR EMBEZZLING MONEY ON MILITARY HOUSING CONTRACTS, BRUSHED ASIDE HIS 
PLEA FOR APPEAL WITH THE BRUSQUE EXPLANATION THAT " MORE CHARGES 
ARE PENDING " THE FORMER BOSS OF THE TEHERAN ELECTRICITY BOARD 
WAS IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT FOR FIVE YEARS ; CASES WERE IN 
PREPARATION AGAINST AN EX-WAR MINISTER AND TWELVE OTHER GENERALS FOR GRAFT 
. SAID ONE OBSERVER : " THE SHAH HAS GOT THE 
GRAFTERS AND SPECULATORS ON THE RUN . / 