Omri Sharon
Photo: Yaron Brener
MK Majalli Whbee
Photo: Knesset website
MKs ask Peres to pardon Omri Sharon
'Ariel Sharon may lose hope if his son won't be by his side,' MKs say in petition
Deputy Foreign Minister Majalli Whbee told Ynet on Monday that he has signed 30 fellow Knesset members on a petition calling on President Shimon Peres to pardon Omri Sharon.
Minimum-Security Prison
Vered Luvitch and AFP
Former MK Omri Sharon taken from Tel Aviv District Court to minimum-security prison in central Israel to begin seven-month jail sentence for corruption and fraud in connection with his father's Likud party leadership bid
The request cites the medical condition of the former Likud MK's father, former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, as the main argument for the clemency request.
About three weeks ago Omri Sharon began serving a seven-month jail sentence for lying under oath, filing false affidavits, and violating campaign laws. Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke in early 2006 and has remained comatose ever since.
"We are not underestimating the severity of Sharon's actions, but we believe that due to the fact that no one has ever been tried for a similar offense, and in light of the medical condition of Ariel Sharon, who has been comatose for over two years, his sentence must me reduced so he may be at his father's side," the MKs said in the petition.
"Omri Sharon's absence may cause his father to lose hope and may consequently shorten his life."
Omri sharon on his way to prison (Archive photo: Yaron Brener)
Last week Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On filed a similar plea with President Peres and Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann, claiming Omri Sharon should be pardoned due to the fact that he had immediately admitted to the crimes attributed to him and retired from politics.
"He took responsibility and paid the price. Even the court reduced his jail sentence," Bar-On wrote in his appeal. "He (Sharon) has daughters and a sick father. Enough is enough. You can't hurt a man in this way."
Judge Edna Beckenstein of the Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court said after handing down the sentence that “(Omri) Sharon deceived the campaign headquarters he was working for, as well as the party and the public."
She added that he had established two separate account systems – one hidden and the other exposed – thus undermining the election results."
