Tehran, Dec 31, IRNA -- The first court hearing against Managing Director of National Institute for Research on Public Opinion Behrouz Geranpayeh was held on Tuesday.

Prosecutor's Representative Ali Asghar Tashakori accused Geranpayeh of manipulating the result of a polling released last October which showed a majority of those polled had favored restoration of relations with the United States.

Tashakori said that Geranpayeh had asked those interviewed about Iran's active diplomacy with other countries for which the majority of answers had been positive. But, Geranpayeh released the result by changing the subject to Iran-US relations, he said.

The prosecutor's representative said that Geranpayeh had abused the logo of the Ministry of Culture and the Islamic Guidance.

Minister of Culture and the Islamic Guidance Ahmad Masjed Jamei already said that the National Institute for Research on Public Opinion whose business was launching opinion polls at the request of the policy making organs of the government had been established under the former Minister of Culture and the Islamic Guidance Mostafa Mirsalim for the purpose.

The prosecutor's representative accused Geranpayeh of selling the results of opinion polls foreign countries.

Geranpayeh said that the Institute had coordinated transactions with foreign countries with the Foreign Ministry and exchange of opinion polls had taken place in the framework of people-to-people contacts.

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