A Russian man cleared of the murder of U.S. journalist Paul Klebnikov has been released from prison after serving more than four years for fraud, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Former Moscow notary public Fail Sadretdinov was acquitted by a Moscow court of organizing the killing of Klebnikov, the head of the Moscow branch of Forbes magazine, in July 2004. He was jailed for large scale property fraud and abuse of office in 2007.

"Sadretdinov was paroled after serving half of his jail term," his lawyer, Ruslan Koblev, told RIA Novosti. He said his client was freed about two weeks ago.

The death of Klebnikov caused international outcry amid speculation that it could have been linked to his investigations into corruption among Russia's powerful elite.