Former Knesset Member Naomi Blumenthal (Likud) has decided not to appeal her conviction in the City Tower affair.
Blumenthal was convicted about a year ago of bribery and obstruction of justice. She was sentenced to an eight-month prison term and a 10-month suspended sentence and was ordered to pay a fine of NIS 75,000 (about $17,900).
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| Likud MK sent to prison for bribery / Vered Luvitch |
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Tel Aviv Magistrates Court sentences Naomi Blumenthal to eight months in prison after she was convicted of bribery, obstruction of justice; MK also gets 10-month suspended sentence, ordered to pay NIS 75,000 fine; she will not be able to serve in next Knesset |
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On Sunday morning she asked the District court to only discuss her appeal over her jail sentence.
Blumenthal was found guilty of funding a meeting of Likud activists held in the Tel Aviv Sheraton City Tower hotel in 2002, in a bid to promote her chances in the party's primary elections. Blumenthal also paid a sum of NIS 12,000 (about $2,600) for the stay of 15 guests at the hotel on the eve of the primaries.
At a later stage, after the affair was leaked to the press, Blumenthal met with two of her contact people who helped organize the event at the hotel, and instructed them to give a false testimony if questioned by police.
In their ruling, judges harshly criticized Blumenthal's conduct, stating the MK chose to act improperly. Judges also rejected Blumenthal's version for the affair, and preferred to believe a contradicting version provided by Blumenthal's former driver, who served as a key witness in the trial.
"Blumenthal hid behind her right to stay silent, while removing all responsibility for her actions from herself and trying to hold others responsible," judges wrote in their ruling, stressing Blumenthal lied time and time again during the trial.
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