Son Of Iranian Ex-President Rafsanjani To Be Jailed For Ten Years

Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani (file photo)

An appeal court in Iran has upheld a 10-year jail sentence against Mehdi Hashemi, the son of Iran's ex-President Hashemi Rafsanjani, following his conviction on corruption and security crimes, a judiciary spokesman said on June 10.

Hashemi appealed three separate sentences in March by a revolutionary court that amounted to 15 years in jail on charges that include embezzlement, bribery, and hurting Iran's national security.

"The appeals court has confirmed his initial sentences but under Iranian law he will only serve the longest of the three, that is 10 years," judiciary spokesman Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejei said.

Hashemi was also ordered to pay an undisclosed fine and barred from holding political office, Ejei added.

Hashemi's father served as president from 1989 to 1997.

Rafsanjani and his family came under pressure following the 2009 disputed presidential vote and their support for the opposition movement.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and IRNA