Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Iran's first vice president under former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been sentenced to prison and fined, it was reported today.
Appointed by Ahmadinejad after a controversial election win in 2009, Rahimi would be the most senior official from that era to be convicted.
"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, was quoted by state media as saying.
Iranian media previously reported that Rahimi, 65, was on trial for corruption. Lawmakers had accused him of heading up an embezzlement scheme.
He was questioned by judicial officials before being placed on bail in December 2013.
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.
