Man Convicted of Bribing Advisor to Former Israeli President

By דסק C14

Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba

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Mazid Hamdan has been convicted of bribery by the Haifa District Court for paying thousands of shekels to Ze'ev Dolinsky, a former advisor to President Reuven Rivlin. Hamdan admitted to bribing Dolinsky to help advance various government applications, including those for licenses and entry permits. The two are also implicated in an attempt to influence exam appeals. Hamdan faces a potential sentence of six and a half months of community service as part of a plea deal, while other defendants in the case have received prison sentences.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

Mazid Hamdan was convicted of bribery for paying thousands of shekels to Ze'ev Dolinsky, an advisor to former President Reuven Rivlin.
Hamdan admitted to using Dolinsky's position to advance government applications for clients, including permits and licenses.
The bribery payments were made between 2018 and 2020, totaling at least 6,000 shekels.
Hamdan and another defendant, Marwan Rayan, also attempted to bribe Dolinsky regarding Ministry of Health exam appeals.
Hamdan faces a potential sentence of six and a half months of community service as part of a plea deal.
Another defendant, Nissim Cohen, received a 22-month prison sentence for bribery and money laundering.

Man Convicted of Bribing Advisor to Former Israeli President — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

The Haifa District Court has convicted Mazid Hamdan of bribery. Hamdan admitted to paying thousands of shekels to Ze'ev Dolinsky, a senior advisor to former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, in exchange for help promoting government applications. These applications pertained to matters such as licenses and entry permits to Israel, as well as planning and construction, and medical issues.

Hamdan, who knew Dolinsky from their shared activity in the Likud party, used this connection to advance his own and his clients' interests between 2018 and 2020. He transferred at least 6,000 shekels to Dolinsky for his assistance.

In a separate instance detailed in the indictment, Hamdan and another defendant, Marwan Rayan, allegedly attempted to bribe Dolinsky to help advance appeals for Ministry of Health certification exams. These appeals were for two of Rayan's relatives who had failed the tests.

Hamdan was convicted as part of a plea deal after admitting to the charges in a revised indictment. The prosecution and defense have jointly requested a sentence of six and a half months of actual imprisonment, to be served as community service, along with a suspended sentence and a fine. The court will determine the final sentence.

In a related case earlier this year, Nissim Cohen, a former parliamentary assistant to then-Knesset Member Yitzhak Vaknin, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for multiple counts of bribery and money laundering. His sentence was later reduced to 22 months on appeal. Legal proceedings against other defendants in the case are ongoing.