
Shas party chief and former MK Aryeh Deri was sentenced Tuesday morning to a one-year suspended sentence, along with a fine of 180,000 shekels, as part of a plea bargain.
The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, with Judge Shmuel Harbest presiding, accepted the plea bargain Tuesday morning, handing down the sentence based on the agreement.
“The investigation was lengthy, but the punishment agreed upon is fair and balanced,” said Harbest. “On the ethical level, the convicted certainly is familiar with the steps of repentance laid out by Maimonides.”
Last week, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court convicted Deri on tax offenses, ending a five-year investigation.
As part of the plea bargain, Deri will not be barred from returning to politics on the grounds of moral turpitude, though the former lawmaker was forced to resign from the Knesset as a condition of the plea bargain.
This is Deri’s second conviction, having served twenty-two months in prison after being found guilty on corruption charges in 2000.