TEHRAN (Reuters) - An Iranian court on Thursday sentenced Tehran‘s mayor to five years in jail, 60 lashes and a large fine on charges of graft in a trial that has highlighted tensions between conservatives and moderates. The lashing of Gholamhossein Karbaschi was suspended for four years and he was fined one billion rials ($333,333). Karbaschi, a powerful supporter of moderate President Mohammad Khatami, was also ordered to pay back 17.6 billion rials to the Tehran municipality and banned from holding government office for 20 years. The sentences were for embezzlement, wasting government property and misconduct in government transactions. But Karbaschi was acquitted of bribery. The judge appealed for calm in the courtroom after a man stood up and shouted „Long live Mohseni“ (the judge). The suspended mayor, who was not in court to hear the verdict, has 20 days to appeal. One of Karbaschi‘s two lawyers was present. The charges were overshadowed by political strains between moderates and conservatives who clashed in the streets after the mayor was arrested for interrogation and briefly jailed. Karbaschi, 45, was tried on charges of embezzling more than 14.5 billion rials, bribery and mismanagement. He has denied the accusations as fabricated, saying they were based on false confessions extracted through torture of city officials. Karbaschi‘s supporters said he was framed by a conservative-run judiciary out to crush an upstart rival, a charge denied by the judiciary. But his critics charged he rode roughshod over opponents, looted city coffers and enriched himself, his business associates and political cronies. Members of the hardline Ansar-e Hizbollah faction have called for his execution.