Iran jails former vice president over corruption.

Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Iran's former vice
president, has been jailed after being found
guilty over corruption charges, state media
has said.

Rahimi, a top aide to former President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was transferred to
jail on Sunday after being convicted by Iran's
supreme court of corruption last month.

IRNA, the official state news agency, said
Rahimi had been brought to Evin prison, north
of the capital Tehran, to serve his five year
jail term.

A local court had initially sentenced Rahimi to
15 years but the supreme court reduced the
term to five years and three months.
Rahimi was also ordered to pay a $300,000
fine and compensation equivalent to
$800,000.

Ahmadinejad had claimed he led "the cleanest
government in Iran's history" but his
opponents had long accused his government
of massive corruption.

In May last year, Iran executed billionaire
businessman Mahafarid Amir Khosravi,
convicted of being at the heart of a $2.6bn
state bank scam.

Source: Agencies