As one of his first acts as Israel’s new president, Shimon Peres commuted the jail term of a former Knesset member sentenced to prison for bribery.
Likud Knesset member Naomi Blumenthal had been sentenced to eight months in prison and assessed an $18,000 fine for bribing Likud members in the lead-up to the 2002 primary elections for the party leadership. Peres commuted her sentence to six months of community service and two months probation, according to reports. The President’s Residence declined to respond to the reports.
Justice Minister Daniel Friedman had recommended the commutation, which had been proposed to acting President Dalia Itzik before she left office. Itzik left the decision to Peres, who took office a week ago.
Former Knesset minister Yossi Sarid of the Labor Party and former President Yitzhak Navon supported a campaign for Blumenthal’s pardon, according to Ynet news.
