Hirchson accessory to serve no jail time

In the first formal sentencing related to the trial of former finance minister Abraham Hirchson, Ronit Garti was sentenced to six months of community service. She will serve no time.

Garti, 44, was accused of using her position as an accountant with the National Workers' Organization (NWO) in order to relay funds, in the form of cash payments and checks, to Hirchson – then the organization's chairman.

The accused, who began serving as the NWO's account manager in 2005, admitted to transferring some 25,000 NIS (approximately $7,000) to Hirchson in monthly installments.

As part of her plea bargain, Garti, who was indicted for falsifying corporate documents, pled guilty to all charges and committed to testify in Hirchson's upcoming trial.

Judge David Rosen wrote, when accepting the plea bargain, that "the behavior of the accused is corrupt. Her actions caused the foundations of a public organization to rot. Her contribution to these misdeeds is not small, since she was in a position of public trust and used this position to cheat and steal."

Garti's lawyer, Uri Kenan, said: "I am pleased that the court accepted the plea bargain and saw fit to refrain from imposing jail time. In the end, the prosecution realized that Garti's involvement is small in relation to that of other accessories."

Garti was also represented by Attorney Dov Gilad Cohen. 

Garti's is a minor indictment in the overall case against Hirchson, but the fact that the State Prosecutor's Office agreed to a plea bargain in her case may suggest that it would be willing to the same in the other accessories indicted in the case.

Her admission of guilt and subsequent testimony are expected to be detrimental to Hirchson's case.