Former Deputy Minister Faina Kirshenbaum, who was convicted of taking bribes, money laundering, tax offenses, fraud, and breach of trust and was sent to prison four years ago, will receive early release, following the Parole Committee's decision, after the prosecution reached an agreement and did not oppose her release.
Kirshenbaum, who will be released in the coming days, was convicted in a corruption case in the Yisrael Beiteinu party.
The committee's decision states: "In the special case before us, there is a woman who traveled a very long distance, from Igra Rama to a pit, falling into a pit, losing all her brakes and restraints along the way.
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""Since entering prison, a transformation in her consciousness has occurred, after she participated, as mentioned, in group and individual therapies, which brought her to a full understanding of the seriousness of the acts she committed, and in her own words to the representative of the Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority - 'Power is intoxicating to the highest degree.'".
""Based on the factual basis, we believe that today, at her advanced age, it is appropriate that we allow her to leave the prison gates and integrate into a long-term plan that the Assi Rehabilitation Authority has prepared for her.".
Kirshenbaum, who was Deputy Minister of the Interior and a member of Knesset from the Yisrael Beiteinu party, was convicted in March 2021 of accepting bribes, soliciting bribes, fraud, and breach of trust as part of the party's corruption scandal.
In July of that year, the court sentenced her to 10 years in prison, but in August 2022, eight months after she began serving her sentence, the Supreme Court shortened the sentence to seven and a half years in prison.
Kirshenbaum was convicted of 15 counts of bribery, four counts of solicitation of bribery, three counts of fraud and breach of trust, 15 counts of money laundering, use of fraud, deceit and fraud with intent to evade taxes in some of the charges. However, she was acquitted of solicitation of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, bribery and money laundering in other of the charges.
