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Tehran, March 5 (IANS) The Iranian Supreme Court has overturned the death penalty given to an Iranian-American CIA "spy" by a lower court, an official said Monday. "The case of the defendant was sent to the Supreme Court after his appeal, and finally the (death) sentence was overturned... So the (case) was returned" to the court for retrial," prosecutor general and judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said. In January, a lower court sentenced Amir Hekmati to death over charges of "cooperating with the US, membership in the CIA and attempt to accuse Iran of terrorism," Xinhua reported quoting the semi-official Fars news agency. In court, Hekmati confessed that he intended to penetrate Iran's intelligence apparatus to help the CIA (Central Investigation Agency). On Dec 17, 2011, the intelligence ministry announced his arrest. A US government official on Dec 20 denied that the arrested US citizen is a spy.
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