Iranian Court Reduces Jail Time for Convicted Ex-Mayor of Tehran

An appeals court has reduced the sentence of a former Tehran mayor convicted of corruption from five years to two years in jail and replaced the 60 lashes he was to receive with a $3,000 fine, a judiciary statement said Thursday.

The court also reduced the period during which Gholamhossein Karbaschi is banned from assuming public office from 20 years to 10 years. His new fine is added to the amount he was already ordered to pay: $330,000 as punishment for his conviction and $200,000 in reimbursements to the city.

Karbaschi, a key ally of moderate President Mohammad Khatami, had been a target of hard-line political rivals, and many Iranians saw his corruption trial as a political settling of scores.

During his trial, which lasted more than a month, Karbaschi admitted to making mistakes but denied stealing public money.

Karbaschi was found guilty in July of embezzlement during his eight years as mayor of Iran’s capital. He filed an appeal in August.

Karbaschi’s lawyer, Bahman Keshavarz, said Thursday that his client will appeal again. It was not clear when Karbaschi, who has been free on bail, will begin serving his sentence.