Insert this line and the solution will reveal before your weary eyes... 

print "$command ; echo COMMAND_RET:$? | sed 's/^/COMMAND_OUT: /g'; ech
+o -n END_; echo EXPECT\n";

[download]
Hint: You need to escape $?.

Why not get rid of the sed-invocation? 

$exp->send("$command ; echo 'COMMAND_OUT: COMMAND_RET:'\$?; echo END_E
+XPECT\n");

[download]
Depending on the shells flavour of echo, you could also get rid of the second echo invocation.

In reply to Re: Incorrect value 0 reported in command execution return value variable $?, when trying with expect->send command by Perlbotics
in thread Incorrect value 0 reported in command execution return value variable $?, when trying with expect->send command by Davewhite

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