Israel Perry
Photo: Gil Yohanan
The Supreme Court on Thursday granted Attorney Israel Perry, who was convicted of wide-scale fraud against Holocaust survivors, another appeal hearing.
Perry was convicted of embezzling hundreds of millions of Deutsche Marks from Holocaust survivors, and was sentenced to a 12-year prison sentence and a $6.1 million fine. The sentence was later reduced on appeal to 10 years.
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Perry's attorneys claim that their client's conviction led to a legal absurdity in which a he was convicted of wide-scale fraud and embezzlement despite lack evidence.
The "so-called victims ended up making millions from their dealings with Perry, without investing a single dime," said the defense.
Supreme Court Justice Eliezer Rivlin said that while the majority of the offences Perry was convicted of cannot be challenged, there was some ambiguity regarding the distinction between "fraud" and "fraudulently obtaining benefits" in the case which warrants another hearing.
The case has been referred to Supreme Court President Dorit Beinish, who will decide on the makeup of the panel to hear the appeal.