Soldier who faked sick notes sent to jail

'Business' launched by IDF serviceman supplied troops with hundreds of medical certificates, including during Gaza offensive. Soldier to serve eight-month prison sentence, pay fine of NIS 3,500

Hanan Greenberg |Published: 04.28.09 , 09:04

There's a price to freedom, especially when it's faked: An Israel Defense Forces soldier who supplied troops with hundreds of forged medical certificates for more than a year, including during Operation Cast Lead, will serve an eight-month prison service, the Israeli Ground Forces' military court ruled Monday.

One of the soldiers, who purchased 62 such days of leave from the counterfeiter, was recently sent to jail for four months. Additional soldiers who were included on the sick note faker's list of "clients" will be put on trial in the coming weeks.

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Clinic used as 'sick leave factory'?

Military Police investigators were amazed by the affair, which was first reported by Ynet. The sophisticated soldier set up a "sick leave laboratory", and supplied troops with different exempt notes using documents stolen from a civilian clinic, including an exemption from shaving one's beard, through exemptions from guarding, as well as sick leave days at home.

The soldier was paid dozens of shekels for each form he provided his clients with. He even wrote on the fake forms names of illnesses the troops were allegedly suffering from, as well as medications they were allegedly taking. Five other soldiers were used as the soldier's mediators, marketing his "service" among their friends.

'It was an actual business'

The prosecution's representative, Lieutenant Guy Konforti, noted during the court hearing that the soldier's actions were severe. He presented as an example the exempt notes provided by the soldier during the IDF operation in Gaza to troops serving in essential roles, such as helicopter mechanics.

"It was a business for all purposes and intents, a business which military commanders suffered from."

The defendant's lawyer, Attorney Sharoni Dayan of the military defense, said however that there were many evidential difficulties in the case and that his client had decided to confess to some of the offenses and save precious judicial time.

"All the offenses were carried out on the backdrop of a grave familial and economic situation," said the defense attorney.

Both sides appealed for an eight-month prison sentence. The defendant himself told the court that he regretted his actions and vowed to never repeat them.

The panel of judges, headed by Lieutenant-Colonel Noa Zomer, accepted the plea bargain and ruled that the defendant would also be forced to pay a fine of NIS 3,500 (about $845).

The defense attorney expressed his satisfaction at the end of the hearing with the fact that the prosecution had accepted his client's claims and that the indictment was amended in a significant manner. "I think that at the end of the day the indictment contains a balance between the evidential difficulties in the case and the gravity of the defendant's actions."

The main suspect may have been punished, but what about the "clients"? Sources involved in the case estimated that at least 30 additional troops had paid the defendant for different types of exempt notes. Four of them are expected to be put on trial soon. A decision about the rest will be made at a later stage.