Faina Kirschenbaum
Faina KirschenbaumFlash90

On Tuesday, Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman paid a visit to Neve Tirtza women's prison, in order to visit his former party colleague, Faina Kirschenbaum, who began a 10-year sentence last December after being convicted of bribery, money laundering, and tax-related offenses.

Her crimes were committed while serving as a deputy minister for the Yisrael Beytenu party, which Liberman heads.

As he handed down the longest prison sentence ever imposed on a Knesset member, Judge Yaron Levy said Kirshenbaum had taken bribes in a “systematic, cunning and sophisticated” manner that netted her around NIS 2 million ($604,415), and that she had "exploited her leadership power to illegitimately favor her personal interests.

“The depth of the defendant’s corruption and the severity and multiplicity of her actions are unique,” Levy added.

A statement from Liberman's office this week noted that: "Friendship is measured in times of distress and not in times of glory. Minister Avigdor Liberman is visiting Mrs. Kirschenbaum just as in the past, he visited Mr. Stas Misezhnikov and MK Aryeh Deri who were also serving prison sentences at the time.

"It is superfluous to note that the meeting was social and amicable and had no connection whatsoever to the official position which the minister holds."

The Yisrael Beytenu party has been plagued with accusations and occasionally convictions on corruption grounds; its leader, Liberman, was himself indicted for fraud and breach of trust in 2012, although ultimately he was acquitted.