Share

Iran's court confirms death sentence on tycoon

Tehran - Iran's Supreme Court has confirmed the death sentence against a well-known tycoon, the country's state-run news agency has reported.

The Saturday report by IRNA said Babak Zanjani was sentenced to death over a number of charges including money laundering and disrupting the country's economy.

On March 2016, a primary court sentenced Babak Zanjani and his two associates to death.

The two defendants are facing charges of complicity in money laundering, forgery and fraud.

IRNA also said Gholam-Reza Ansari, a senior official at the Supreme Court of Iran, announced that the Supreme Court has upheld the death penalty for the two other defendants involved in the embezzlement case, Hamid Fallah-Heravi and Mehdi Shamszadeh.

Zanjani was arrested in 2013 as part of a crackdown on alleged corruption during the rule of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iran's Oil Ministry says Zanjani owes more than $2.25bn for oil sales he made on behalf of Ahmadinejad's government.

Zanjani, 41, is one of Iran's wealthiest businessmen with a fortune worth an estimated $14bn. He was arrested shortly after the election of President Hassan Rouhani.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do airplane mishaps have any effect on which airline you book your flights with?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, these things happen. I pick based on price
48% - 713 votes
Yes, my safety matters. I don't take any chances
52% - 759 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.14
-0.1%
Rand - Pound
23.78
+0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.45
+0.0%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.45
-0.4%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-0.0%
Platinum
926.80
+0.7%
Palladium
1,026.50
+0.1%
Gold
2,322.83
+0.0%
Silver
27.37
+0.2%
Brent-ruolie
88.42
+1.6%
Top 40
68,520
+0.7%
All Share
74,494
+0.7%
Resource 10
60,134
+0.9%
Industrial 25
103,756
+0.9%
Financial 15
15,920
+0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE