Former MK Benizri to appeal bribery conviction
'He feels he's been done an injustice, and he intends to fight for his reputation,' say representatives of former Shas MK found guilty by District Court of corruption
Former Knesset Member Shlomo Benizri filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on Thursday after being convicted on corruption charges.
Benizri was found guilty of having accepted bribes from Moshe Sela, a building contractor, by the Jerusalem District Court in April. He was sentenced to an 18-month jail term and slapped with a fine of NIS 80,000 ($23,900). The court also ruled that Benizri's acts carry moral turpitude.
His attorney, Benny Nahari, said the former Shas MK "feels he's been done an injustice. He maintains his innocence and he intends to fight for his reputation."
Two years ago, Benizri was indicted for passing on advance information to Sela which included details on the quota of foreign laborers expected to arrive in Israel.
The prosecution said that in return for this information the MK received perks worth millions of shekels, including large sums of money, expensive furniture, cleaning services, electrical appliances and help in expanding his apartment.
Judge Yaakov Tzaban ruled that "the offenses committed by Benizri are not accidental and have spread over several years, committed by a person who served in a high, influential post, which requires incorruptibility and unbiased reasoning.
"Bribery and breach of trust offenses cause those who commit them to work for the giver. Such damage caused to the public points to moral turpitude by the person who committed it."
