Court rules Deri can't run for mayor

The Jerusalem District Court refused to overturn a moral turpitude clause in the 1999 verdict of former MK Aryeh Deri, Thursday. In practice, this means that Deri, who was banned from politics following a conviction on numerous corruption charges, will not be eligible to run for Jerusalem mayor this year.

Deri, who announced his mayorship bid in early September, was convicted of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in 1999. His sentence included a moral turpitude clause, which according to the Israeli Criminal Code, prevents him from running for public office for seven years. Deri's petition sought a court order expunging the clause form his record.

The petition further stated that since at the time of his incarceration, the statute for moral turpitude limited one's ability to run for public office for six years – not seven as it does today – the court should apply the previous code to his case, making him eligible to run for mayor of Jerusalem.

"A law whose intent is to preserve the purity of actions among elected officials and public trust must be evaluated in terms of the spirit of the law and thus applies to someone whose conviction went into effect prior to an increased statute of limitations," explained Judge Moshe Sobel when delivering the verdict.

"In terms of the public interest, this is the right thing to do," he said.

Shas Chairman Eli Yishai said Deri should appeal the Jerusalem court's decision with the High Court of Justice. 

Deri's associates said that he would "consult with rabbis and decide what to do, pursuant to this surprising decision."

Attila Somfalvi contributed to this report