Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could face 74 lashes or six months in jail for allegedly breaking electoral rules by accompanying his chief of staff to register as a candidate in Iran's forthcoming elections, reports The Telegraph.
The state television of the country broadcasted a footage of a smiling Mr Ahmadinejad accompanying Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei to the electoral registry on Saturday.
In an off-guard moment, the Iranian president was caught apparently muttering to his aid and confidant that if questions were raised as to why he had accompanied him to the electoral registry, "tell them I'm on a day off work".
Following the telecast of the footage, the Guardian Council complained about the president's conduct on Sunday and Iran’s constitutional watchdog has said it might seek charges against Ahmadinejad.
The Council's members said that public fund rules were broken as Ahmadinejad accompanied Mashaei to the election registration office. The Guardian Council is charged with vetting all 680 hopeful presidential candidates, including Mashaei.
Ahmadinejad, who is constitutionally forbidden to contest for a third term, has pushed hard for Mashaei to succeed him when the country heads to the polls on June 14.
Ahmadinejad's long-standing feud with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the ruling clerics is working against the presidential hopeful and undoubtedly played a role in Sunday's complaint against him.
The cards for the June 14 elections have so far been stacked heavily in favour of candidates allied with the Ayatollah. Among the current favourites are Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran and former police chief, and Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to the Supreme Leader.
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was president for eight years between 1989 and 1997, has also launched his bid for a political comeback at the age of 78.