Kamal Foroughi, an 80-year-old British-Iranian businessman who was arrested in Iran nine years ago, has returned to Britain, the U.K. Foreign Office said.

Foroughi was working as a business consultant when he was arrested in 2011 and convicted of espionage and possessing alcohol.

"I am pleased and very relieved that Kamal Foroughi has been able to return to the U.K. and be reunited with his family," Dominic Raab, Britain's foreign secretary, said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

"I pay tribute to Kamal and his family, who have been through a terrible ordeal, and now have the opportunity to rebuild their life together," Raab said.

Foroughi was released from detention in Tehran in late 2018, but he was unable to return to his family in Britain while waiting for his Iranian passport to be renewed.

Britain's Foreign Office said in March 2018 that it had raised Foroughi’s case with the Iranian authorities. His family denied the charges against him.

Iran announced two weeks ago that it would pardon prisoners, including political prisoners, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Based on reporting by Reuters