Iran convicts Ahmadinejad’s vice president
Judge says Mohammad Reza Rahimi, an official under ex-president, has been jailed and fined, but does not reveal charges.
Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Iran’s first vice president under former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been sentenced to prison and fined.
“I cannot reveal the details because the sentence is not final, but it includes a term of imprisonment and a fine,” Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejeie, the second-ranking member of Iran’s judiciary, told the AFP news agency on Monday.
Iranian media previously reported that Rahimi, 65, was on trial for corruption.
Appointed by Ahmadinejad after a controversial election win in 2009, Rahimi would be the most senior official from that era to be convicted.
Polticians had accused him of heading up an embezzlement scheme.
He was questioned by judicial officials before being placed on bail in December 2013.
In March, local Iranian media reported Rahimi had been indicted, though details of the charges were unclear. Rahimi has said he is innocent.
According to Iranian law, the sentence must be confirmed by the Court of Appeal before it becomes final.
The media does not have the right to reveal details of the conviction until that time.