State against treason convict's parole
State Prosecutor opposes parole of Nahum Manbar, convicted of aiding enemy state; requests postponement of parole hearing to allow Mossad to submit detailed professional opinion on matter
State Prosecutor Eran Shendar decided to oppose the parole of treason convict Nahum Manbar on Tuesday.
After discussing the matter with defense establishment sources, the prosecutor decided that a petition should be filed to postpone Manbar's parole hearing until a detailed report from the Mossad is submitted in the matter.
The petition sent to the parole board by the Tel Aviv District Prosecutor's Office argued that the parole hearing should be put off since the Mossad bodies responsible for preparing professional opinions were currently not in the country.
The prosecutors asked for a two-week postponement on the parole hearing, which would enable to board to examine to all aspects of the case.
A source in the Israeli Prison Service said Sunday that Manbar was considered a well-behaved prisoner, who showed no disciplinary problems. He is not in solitary confinement, and had recently been placed on the prison's maintenance crew and been authorized vacations.
Manbar was arrested in 1997 and in 1998 was convicted of aiding an enemy of the State of Israel and selling potentially harmful information to an enemy state.
The indictment claimed that during the 1980s, Manbar, who had business connections in Iran, used them to supply enemy agents with sensitive information and equipment.
Manbar was sentenced to 16 years in prison. He later appealed to the Supreme Court, which rejected his appeal, and is currently serving his sentence in the Nitzan Prison in Ramla.
