Supreme Court rejects Kirschenbaum's request: begin serving her sentence on December 15 | Israel today

Deputy Minister and former Member of Knesset on the way to prolonged imprisonment:

The Supreme Court accepted the state's position and rejected Faina Kirschenbaum's request to delay her imprisonment until after the decision on the appeal she filed for her conviction and the sentence imposed on her.

Among other things, the court ruled in its decision that "on the face of it, it seems that the chances of appealing the verdict to be accepted are not improved."

She is expected to begin serving her prison term on December 15 this year.

The court sentenced former Deputy Minister Faina Kirschenbaum to 10 years in prison // Photo: Moshe Ben Simhon

The district court will convict Kirschenbaum, the deputy interior minister and former Knesset member on behalf of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, of offenses in the area of ​​moral purity and acts of government corruption.

She was sentenced, among other things, to 10 years in prison, a fine of NIS 900,000 and forfeiture in the amount of NIS 1 million.

For this conviction, Kirschenbaum filed an appeal against both the verdict and the sentence imposed on her, and at the same time a request was submitted to delay the execution of the sentence until after the decision on the appeal.

In the decision, the court ruled that "as is well known, the rule is that a defendant will begin serving his sentence immediately after sentencing in his case. Filing an appeal does not in itself justify delaying execution, and the defendant has the burden of convincing that the reasons for delaying execution outweigh the public interest. The offenses for which the petitioner was convicted are of excessive severity, especially in view of the multiplicity of the offenses and their accumulation. On the state budget, and in his belief that the use of these funds will be made for reasons of interest and for the benefit of the public. "

Defendants Rami Cohen and Faina Kirschenbaum - convicted of bribery, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering and other offenses., Photo: Archive, Gideon Markovich

The court added: "In these circumstances, the interest of restoring public confidence in the government is of paramount importance, in a way that supports the immediate serving of the sentence.

On the face of it, it seems that the chances of appealing the verdict to be accepted are not improved;

"Unfortunately, the possibility that a significant part of the allegations in relation to the verdict will be accepted, to the extent that the period of imprisonment will be significantly shortened as a result, and will be less than a considerable period of years - does not seem reasonable at this stage." 

Regarding one of the claims made by Kirschenbaum that receiving a benefit from the Ezra movement is not bribery but a settlement between corporations, the court ruled: "The claim is far from convincing. The party, but also for the personal needs of the applicant and the needs of her family members, including financing flights abroad for the applicant and the family members, purchasing electronic products for the applicant and more. "

The State was represented on the appeal by Adv. Dr. Maor Even Chen and Yael Shahaf Levy from the Economic Department of the State Attorney's Office.