Defendant at court
צילום: דודו אזולאי
Israeli found guilty of passing information to Iran
Man convicted as part of plea bargain after being accused of contacting Iranian elements in 2006. Defense attorney: He had no intention of harming the State and had no information which could have helped Iran
An Israeli citizen accused of contacting a foreign agent and passing information to Iran was convicted Monday at the Tel Aviv District Court as part of a plea bargain.
As part of the deal, the clause of passing information for the enemy's benefit was removed. An agreement has yet to be reached between the sides on the punishment, leaving it for the court to decide.
The man told his investigators that in 2006, during a visit to Turkey, he had arrived at the Iranian Consulate in Istanbul on several occasions. In his meetings at the consulate he had agreed to cooperate with Iranian intelligence officials.
Most of the details of this affair are under a gag order, including the man's name. It is know, however, that the man was accused of passing information to Iranian elements in 2006. He was captured in May 2008 upon his arrival in Israel and was charged.
According to the indictment, the man agreed to cooperate with Iranian intelligence officials and gave them information on members of the defense establishment. The indictment also stated that the man had spent the past few years abroad and arrived in Israel for a Shin Bet questioning with the aid of the police.
The defendant's attorney, Michal Orkaby, said that "this person did what he did due to his economic distress, and had no intention of harming the State of Israel or its institutions. The offense he committed was the contact he created. In any event, he had no information which could have helped the Iranians."
