The parole board announced its decision today against an early release for former Shas Party leader and ex-Interior Minister Aryeh Deri. Deri began a three-year prison sentence in Sept. 2000 after he was convicted the year before of accepting bribes on behalf of a Jerusalem yeshiva. He later appealed to the Supreme Court, claiming that the lower court relied on dubious witnesses and circumstantial evidence, and stating that \"instead of proving the guilt of the defendant, [I] was forced to prove [my] innocence.\" Deri enjoyed much public support at the time, and the Shas party\'s jump in Knesset mandates from 10 to 17 during the last national election was largely attributed to public disenchantment with the verdict and related perceived injustices.
Despite the above, parole officials adopted the State Prosecution\'s position, ruling that due to the gravity of Deri\'s crimes, he would not be considered for release until completion of two-thirds of his sentence, in August of this year. The board also based its decision on the fear that public trust in the judicial system would suffer and on the fact that Deri did not express remorse; Deri, however, claims he is innocent. The parole board noted Deri\'s good behavior, and strongly implied that he would be freed seven months from now, at the conclusion of two years of his sentence.
The \"Deri Law,\" legislated almost entirely to ensure that Deri would be eligible for early parole after half, and not 2/3, of his sentence, has therefore become almost totally irrelevant. Repealed a few months ago, it still applies to those who were imprisoned while it was in effect.
Deri himself, upon hearing the news, told reporters, \"The Talmud teaches that one must bless G-d for the bad as well as for the good. I admit, it could be that I would have been somewhat happier had the decision been different, but I know that everything that G-d does is for the best. I will continue to learn and teach Torah [as part of his rehabilitation program], and I only hope and pray that those who were truly victimized by this decision - my wife and children, as well as my parents and my brothers - will be granted the strength to pull through this difficult period.\" A crowd of his supporters protested loudly against the decision outside the Ma\'asiyahu Prison in Ramle. Prominent Deri supporter Yehuda Azrad told Shas radio station listeners, \"It has been proven once again that when they talk about the public trust in Israel, they don\'t mean us, the Sephardim, but rather the residents of Rehavia and northern Tel Aviv.\"
Despite the above, parole officials adopted the State Prosecution\'s position, ruling that due to the gravity of Deri\'s crimes, he would not be considered for release until completion of two-thirds of his sentence, in August of this year. The board also based its decision on the fear that public trust in the judicial system would suffer and on the fact that Deri did not express remorse; Deri, however, claims he is innocent. The parole board noted Deri\'s good behavior, and strongly implied that he would be freed seven months from now, at the conclusion of two years of his sentence.
The \"Deri Law,\" legislated almost entirely to ensure that Deri would be eligible for early parole after half, and not 2/3, of his sentence, has therefore become almost totally irrelevant. Repealed a few months ago, it still applies to those who were imprisoned while it was in effect.
Deri himself, upon hearing the news, told reporters, \"The Talmud teaches that one must bless G-d for the bad as well as for the good. I admit, it could be that I would have been somewhat happier had the decision been different, but I know that everything that G-d does is for the best. I will continue to learn and teach Torah [as part of his rehabilitation program], and I only hope and pray that those who were truly victimized by this decision - my wife and children, as well as my parents and my brothers - will be granted the strength to pull through this difficult period.\" A crowd of his supporters protested loudly against the decision outside the Ma\'asiyahu Prison in Ramle. Prominent Deri supporter Yehuda Azrad told Shas radio station listeners, \"It has been proven once again that when they talk about the public trust in Israel, they don\'t mean us, the Sephardim, but rather the residents of Rehavia and northern Tel Aviv.\"