Former Yisrael Beytenu official gets 7 years in jail
David Godovsky, the right-hand man of former Deputy Minister Faina Kirschenbaum, was convicted in March of several counts of bribery and money laundering as part of a plea bargain; judge says he ‘corruptly missed public funds to shamelessly benefit associates.’
Godovsky, who was the right-hand man of former deputy minister and main defendant in the affair Faina Kirschenbaum and a key figure in the Yisrael Beytenu party, was convicted as part of a plea bargain in March of four counts of receiving bribes, three money laundering offenses and two bribery requests. Charges of extortion and intimidation, conspiracy to commit a crime and tax offenses were removed from the original indictment.
Defense attorneys Liran Zilberman and Maor Berdichevsky informed Judge Yaron Levy of their intention to appeal the sentence.
The judge ruled that Godovsky had “corruptly misused public funds to shamelessly benefit associates. The defendant corrupted members of the Ayalim association and cynically took advantage of their desire to achieve public purposes like others.
“The punishment must be severe,” he said. “It conveys a clear message aimed at deterring every single civil servant.”
According to the indictment filed against him, Godovsky was Kirschenbaum's main accomplice in planning and carrying out a significant part of her criminal offenses and worked to promote his own personal affairs as well as those of Kirschenbaum and Yisrael Beytenu.
Following negotiations with the State Attorney's Office, he reached an arrangement according to which he would admit to only some of the bribery charges. The two parties agreed Godovsky would state that he did not take any bribes into his own pocket, and that he served as Kirschenbaum's assistant and acted in favor of the party.
Between 2001 and 2014, Godovsky was a public servant, employed by the Yisrael Beytenu party.
According to the original indictment, he was trusted, among other things, with the party's contacts with its mayors and council members, as well as with its branch centers and field activists.
He was also in contact with various elements that requested the party's help in receiving state funds. Godovsky, it was argued, acted as a channel between these elements and Kirschenbaum. In some cases, he and Kirschenbaum demanded bribes in the form of a significant portion of the funds received.
The original charges alleged that Godovsky was a key partner in the planning and execution of a significant part of the criminal acts carried out by the Kirschenbaum.
