Tehran, Iran, August 9
By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:
Mehdi Hashemi, son of former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, is going to prison to serve his conviction term.
Announcing the news, Hashemi's lawyer Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei said since the defendants had withdrawn a retrial appeal, Hashemi was going to jail the very day, Mehr news agency reported August 9.
Judiciary spokesman Qolamhossein Mohseni Ejei said all Hashemi's three convictions of embezzlement, bribery, and security-related violations had been reviewed by the court and the final verdicts issued.
His espionage charges were not confirmed, but he was convicted of embezzlement and bribery, the spokesman added.
He said Hashemi is to serve 10 years in prison.
The verdict had been issued on July 11.
The trial of Hashemi started last August in the Tehran Revolutionary Court behind closed doors. Hashemi had been released on bail after three months of imprisonment in December 2012.
The son of the Iranian ex-president was arrested upon his arrival in Tehran from the UK, where he lived for three years. Hashemi was arrested on charges of propaganda against the state and corruption.