Former Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has failed to appear before a criminal court to face charges over nine cases stemming from his time in office.

Ahmadinejad had been due to appear before the court in Tehran on November 26 for a preliminary hearing.

The judge presiding over the court decided to continue the hearing without Ahmadinejad.

The cases against the former president include a delay in the operation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, a failure to implement the structure of the National Iranian Oil Company, and a failure to allocate the budget for Iran’s metro transport system.

Ahmadinejad was president of Iran from 2005 to 2013.

He left office in August after his successor, Hassan Rohani, a regime moderate backed by reformists, was inaugurated.

By RFE/RL