A French court has ordered the release of an Iranian convicted for the 1991 murder of Iran’s ex-Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar.
Ali Vakili Rad was expected to be released from prison and flown home to Tehran, his lawyer said.
The move comes just days after Iran freed French teacher Clotilde Reiss, who was charged with spying after Iran’s disputed presidential election.
France has denied it made any pact with Iran to secure her release.
Vakili Rad’s lawyer, Sorin Margulis, also denied any deal. “This must not be seen as an exchange,” he said.
Vakili Rad was convicted in 1994 for assassinating Mr Bakhtiar, who had fled Iran after the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
Engineer released
Mr Bakhtiar was the final prime minister to serve under Shah Reza Pahlavi, heading the regency council the Shah set up when he left Tehran at the start of 1979. He fled to Paris in 1980.
