How was Jean Pierre Elraz, the suspected murderer of Kibbutz Manara\'s security officer who was once sentenced to five years in prison for smuggling, able to win a contract to build a defensive system along the northern border? Simple: In April 1998, then-President Ezer Weizman signed an order wiping Elraz\'s criminal record from the books. So reports Ha\'aretz today.
Elraz is suspected of murdering Yitzchak Kvartach, Kibbutz Manara\'s security officer, and stealing and selling dozens of automatic rifles to Palestinian elements. He served in the security services and in elite army units; photographs of him with Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon, and other leading politicians have been featured in the Israeli press in the past days. But his career as a security officer ended when he was caught smuggling from Lebanon. He was convicted in 1989, and served 2.5 years in prison. In January 1998, his attorney appealed to Weizman, asking the president to use his power of clemency to wipe Elraz\'s criminal record from the books. \"He served his time and paid his debt to society,\" wrote the lawyer, \"but the criminal record pursues him and doesn\'t let him resume a normal life and earn a decent living.\" Three months later, Weizman signed the order, paving the way for Elraz to become friendly with Kvartach and secure the job in the north. Elraz and several Israeli-Arab collaborators sold the weapons for 600,000 shekels.
Elraz is suspected of murdering Yitzchak Kvartach, Kibbutz Manara\'s security officer, and stealing and selling dozens of automatic rifles to Palestinian elements. He served in the security services and in elite army units; photographs of him with Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon, and other leading politicians have been featured in the Israeli press in the past days. But his career as a security officer ended when he was caught smuggling from Lebanon. He was convicted in 1989, and served 2.5 years in prison. In January 1998, his attorney appealed to Weizman, asking the president to use his power of clemency to wipe Elraz\'s criminal record from the books. \"He served his time and paid his debt to society,\" wrote the lawyer, \"but the criminal record pursues him and doesn\'t let him resume a normal life and earn a decent living.\" Three months later, Weizman signed the order, paving the way for Elraz to become friendly with Kvartach and secure the job in the north. Elraz and several Israeli-Arab collaborators sold the weapons for 600,000 shekels.