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| Iranian billionaire Babak Zanjani sentenced to death | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Iranian billionaire businessman Babak Zanjani has been sentenced to death for corruption, justice officials say. | Iranian billionaire businessman Babak Zanjani has been sentenced to death for corruption, justice officials say. |
| He was arrested in December 2013 after accusations that he withheld billions in oil revenue channelled through his companies. He denies the allegations. | |
| Zanjani was convicted of fraud and economic crimes, a judiciary spokesperson said at a press briefing. | Zanjani was convicted of fraud and economic crimes, a judiciary spokesperson said at a press briefing. |
| Two others were also sentenced to death and all were ordered to repay embezzled funds. | |
| One of Iran's richest men, Zanjani had been blacklisted by the US and EU for helping Iran evade oil sanctions in place at the time. | |
| He had acknowledged using a web of companies in the UAE, Turkey, and Malaysia to sell millions of barrels of Iranian oil on behalf of the government since 2010. | |
| Before his arrest, Zanjani had claimed international sanctions were preventing him from handing over $1.2bn still owed to the government. | |
| He was taken into custody a day after President Hassan Rouhani ordered his government to fight "financial corruption", particularly "privileged figures" who had "taken advantage of economic sanctions". | |
| In a 2013 interview with the BBC, Zanjani played down his political connections in Iran, saying: "I don't do anything political, I just do business." | |
| Zanjani has said he is worth about some $13.5bn (£9.5bn). |