Shmuel Flatto-Sharon, a self-described millionaire when he fled to Israel more than 15 years ago to escape justice in France, claimed in court here Friday that he was impoverished and subsisting on a Knesset pension and the help of friends.
If legally declared penniless, he could avoid paying a $35 million judgment awarded the French Companie Parisienne de Participation, which sued him in Israel.
Flatto-Sharon signed a declaration in Tel Aviv District Court applying for pauper’s status.
“My economic and monetary situation is quite bad. I have no property. I exist on a modest pension as a former Knesset member and with financial assistance from various friends and acquaintances,” his statement said.
Flatto-Sharon nevertheless occupies a luxurious villa in the upscale Savyon suburb of Tel Aviv, reportedly registered in his wife’s name.
He was convicted in absentia in France for embezzlement and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
He evaded extradition by getting himself elected to the Knesset in 1977 as an independent candidate. But evidence of bribery and other illegal campaign activities surfaced and he was stripped of parliamentary immunity to stand trial.
Flatto-Sharon did not participate in the 1981 elections. He was subsequently convicted of buying votes and sentenced by a district court to serve time in prison.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
