An Iranian court has sentenced President Hassan Rouhani’s brother to an unspecified jail term, state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday, in a corruption case the president’s supporters allege is politically motivated.
“This person (Hossein Fereydoun) was found not guilty on some charges, while he was sentenced to prison on other accusations,” IRNA quoted judiciary official Hamidreza Hosseini as saying.
Hosseini said he was unable to give details as the sentence could still be appealed, the agency added.
Also the Iranian semi-official ISNA news agency carried the report saying Rouhani’s brother has been sentenced to an unspecified prison term for corruption, according to The Associated Press.
The trial of Fereydoun, along with six co-defendants, began in February without the judiciary giving details of the charges.
He had initially been held in 2017 before being released on bail.
Some Rouhani supporters have seen the charges against Fereydoun, a close adviser to the president and a senior diplomat who took part in talks that led to the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, as a move by the hardline judiciary to discredit the pragmatic Rouhani.
The judiciary has denied having any political motivation in cases it tries.
Rouhani was born Hassan Fereydoun before adopting his new surname.
Also Read
-
Under fire from hardliners, Iran’s Rouhani calls for unity
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for unity on Saturday in the face of criticism from all sides of his handling of an economic crisis and ... Middle East -
US State Department slams Iran’s Khamenei on Anti-Corruption Day
The US State Department on Sunday criticized the rampant corruption in Iran saying the Iranian government was “full of corrupt hypocrites.&rdquo ... World News -
Iran arrests 67 in corruption crackdown approved by Khamenei
Iran’s judiciary said Sunday that 67 people have been arrested in recent weeks as part of a corruption crackdown approved by supreme leader ... Middle East
