Court won't debate Benizri's case again
Former Shas minister's request for another hearing on his four-year prison sentence denies; Deputy Supreme Court President Rivlin says, 'Court took into consideration all of the evidence brought before it'
Deputy Supreme Court President Eliezer Rivlin on Sunday denied a request by former Shas Minister Shlomo Benizri to hold another hearing on the Supreme Court's ruling in his case. The court sentenced Benizri to four years in prison.
Rivlin said that although the punishment was severe, "the court took into consideration all of the evidence brought before it".
Benizri was convicted of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, committed during his tenure as labor and welfare minister. He was originally sentenced to 18 months in prison, but a subsequent appeal – by both the prosecution and the defense – saw the court choose to aggravate his sentence to four years.
In his appeal, Benizri claimed that the court chose to follow a new policy of rendering harsher sentences in cases involving offences the likes of which he was convicted of; without considering the specifics of the case.
The appeal included a legal brief compiled by top litigators, who claimed that the Supreme Court followed generic, strict guidelines in its sentencing, meant to create deterrence, but failing to consider the specifics of Benizri's own case.
Rivlin said, "There is no doubt that the Supreme Court was aware of the various considerations it was presented with vis-à-vis the ruling, including the personal circumstances and the price Benizri will pay in light of the harsh sentence, but there is no reason to believe that the court ignored the relevant circumstances in determining the punishment."
Benizri's attorney, Avi Himi, said in response "we regret the fact that the Supreme Court was not in tune with public sentiment and with the opinions of prominent members of the legal community, including former Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann, who naturally criticized Justice Edmond Levy's ruling."
