The trial had started Monday and, at times, transformed into the trial of the French police, security and counter-espionage services.

Three people, Mr. Mojtaba Mashadi, Ali Qorbanifar and Hoseyn Yazdan-setah, all alleged to be members of the Iranian Intelligence Ministry, were arrested afterward in connection with the murder and sentenced to three years jail.

Mr. Yazdan-setah was found dead after being released from jail in mysterious circumstances and some even says that he died in prison.

Defended by two lawyers, Mr. Mashadi, now a French citizen and freed after having served twice three years term, appeared at the court as witness, yet, during the five days the trial lasted, he was constantly targeted by a French superintendent as well as lawyers for the victim as the a direct associate of the murder.

Lawyers for the defence pointed to contradictory statements made by Mr. Mashadi to the police and the counter-intelligence as well as the failures of the French security services, concluded that Mr. Mashadi served as an Iranian agent and therefore the murder of Mr. Elahi was a political assassination directed from Tehran.

Defence lawyers also claimed that the murder of Dr. Elahi was politically motivated and must be dealt as a political murder.

Pointing to Mr. Mashadi, whom they described as an agent of Iranian secret services, the lawyers said not only in previous depositions he has confirmed his belonging to Iranian Intelligence Ministry, but also that he had all the tools for carrying out the murder".

"We are examining a political murder. All existing documents shows that Mr. Mashadi was an agent of the Islamic Republic in charge of collecting information on Iranian opponents. He knew all about the plan to kill Mr. Elahi and had offered money to Mr. Qorbanifar to kill Mr. (Manoochehr) Ganji (the leader of the Paris-based Derafsh Kaviani Organisation), said the Public Prosecutor.

But for Mr. Mashadi’s lawyers, he is the victim of a "great mise en scene" and "pressures coming from all sides".

"In this scenario, the man who plays the key role is not Mashadi, but Mr. Ali Qorbanifar, a man who not only is free despite his participation in the murder, but also enjoys the protection of the French judicial authorities", they said.

"It is clear to all that those who order political assassinations, those who carries them and those who organizes are always in the shadow. But Mr. Mashadi is not in the shadow. If one should have been on the accused chair, it must be Mr. Qorbanifar and not Mr. Mashadi, one lawyer for the accused said.