Iranian oil tycoon Babak Zanjani released from prison, lawyer suggests
Babak Zanjani, an Iranian oil tycoon convicted of embezzling billions of dollars in oil revenues and sentenced to death, has apparently been released from prison according to social media posts by his lawyer.
Rasoul Kouhpayehzadeh posted a photo of Zanjani on Instagram with the caption, "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate," but provided no further details.
The Instagram story, shared around midnight Saturday, has been covered by Iranian media outlets which sought in vain for details on how Zanjani won his release.
His lawyer had said in an earlier post that Zanjani had paid his debts and can legally be freed, without providing details.
"As the assets were returned to the country and the debt was fully settled, the Supreme Leader, upon the request of the Tehran Province Justice Department and the approval of the Chief Justice, granted clemency to my client, reducing their sentence to 20 years' imprisonment, his lawyer had said in April.
Zanjani was convicted in 2016 of misappropriating funds during sanctions-era oil sales, a case that symbolized corruption and mismanagement in Iran's oil sector.
