Pursuits

Iran Billionaire Sentenced to Death in Oil Fund Fraud Case

  • Zanjani guilty of funneling money out of Iran during sanctions
  • Analyst says Iran wants to show that it is tackling corruption

Babak Zanjani, in blue, in a Tehran court in November 2015.

Photographer: Hemat Khahi/EPA
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Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani was sentenced to death after being found guilty in a fraud case involving an oil fund, the state-run Iranian Students’ News Agency reported on Sunday, citing a judicial official.

The court found enough evidence to convict Zanjani and two other people, who were also sentenced to death, said Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary. They were also ordered to repay a quarter of the money they laundered, according to the report. Zanjani can appeal the verdict.