Iran sentences four to death over $2.6b fraud case

TEHRAN,July 31(MNA) – Four individuals convicted of involvement in a $2.6 billion financial fraud case have been sentenced to death, Iranian Judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejeii announced on Monday. The convicts were among the 39 defendants in the case whose trial ended on July 15. Mohseni-Ejeii, who is also the national prosecutor general, also announced that two convicts had received life imprisonment and other convicts had been sentenced to 25 years or less in prison. In addition to the mentioned sentences, a number of the convicts have been ordered to pay fines and return the assets acquired through the fraud, he said. Mohseni-Ejeii announced on July 16 that indictments had been issued for 18 new defendants in the case. The most massive fraud case in the history of Iran triggered a wave of resignations and dismissals of the banking officials. The Arya Investment Company is at the center of the controversy, and Mah-Afarid Amir-Khosravi, who is one of the main owners of the company, is the number one suspect in the case.