""A lenient and shameful arrangement": Court sentences Litzman to 8 months in prison on probation and a fine

August 8, 2022   

The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court today (Monday) approved the plea agreement signed with former Minister Yaakov Litzman and sentenced him to 8 months in prison, suspended for 3 years, and a fine of 3,000 shekels, for breach of trust in the Malka Leifer affair.

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The fine will be paid by 22.9.22. .

Litzman confessed and was convicted of the acts. He resigned from the Knesset several months ago to avoid disgrace.

Jerusalem District Attorney Danny Wittman said at the end of the hearing: "The court accepted the prosecution's position that interference by an elected official at ministerial level in the decisions of the professional level is a criminal offense of breach of trust, thereby drawing the line between what is permissible and what is forbidden.".

Litzman admitted and was convicted of trying to influence the psychiatric opinion in the case of Leifer, who was wanted for extradition to Australia on suspicion of committing serious acts against female students at a school in Melbourne - so that it would be determined that she was mentally unfit to stand trial and therefore could not be extradited.

The claim that she was unfit to stand trial was ultimately rejected, and she was released.

As part of the plea agreement, the case in which he was suspected of acting to influence professionals at the Ministry of Health not to close a delicatessen in Jerusalem belonging to his associate was closed.

Litzman's lawyers, Jacques Chen and Noa Pirr: "Litzman takes responsibility before an Israeli court. This is a very borderline case, this is not a simple affair, from the beginning the accusations were more serious and included another affair. Litzman has no connection to Leifer, and the question of her mental state was in expert debate upon her extradition to Australia.".

ראש האגף המשפטי של התנועה לאיכות השלטון, עו"ד תומר נאור, אמר: "לצערנו הרב, בית המשפט קיבל פעם נוספת הסדר טיעון מקל ומביש שנחתם עם נבחר ציבור שמעל בתפקידו ופגע פגיעה של ממש בקורבנות תקיפה - הסדר שנחתם אחרי גרירת רגליים לא חוקית של רשויות התביעה. "התנהלות זו של רשויות התביעה, והסדרי הטיעון המקילים מדי עם נבחרי ציבור פוגעים פגיעה אנושה ביכולתן של רשויות אכיפת החוק למלא את תפקידן כראוי, פוגעים באמון הציבור במערכת ומרסקים את אלמנט ההרתעה. את המחירים על התנהלות זו, נשלם כולנו".