Businessman Convicted of Bribery in Case Involving Former President Rivlin's Aide
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Businessman Mezid Hamdan was convicted of bribery by the Haifa District Court for bribing Ze'ev Dolinsky, a former advisor to President Reuven Rivlin. Hamdan admitted to giving Dolinsky at least 6,000 shekels between 2018 and 2020 to advance various requests with government bodies. As part of a plea deal, Hamdan faces a recommended sentence of six and a half months of community service, a suspended sentence, and a fine. The case is linked to other ongoing legal proceedings involving bribery charges.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Businessman Mezid Hamdan was convicted of bribery for bribing Ze'ev Dolinsky, an advisor to former President Reuven Rivlin.
- Hamdan allegedly paid Dolinsky at least 6,000 shekels between 2018 and 2020 to advance various requests with government bodies.
- Hamdan admitted to the charges as part of a plea agreement and faces a recommended sentence of six and a half months of community service.
- The case involves Hamdan and another defendant, Marwan Rayan, bribing Dolinsky to help with appeals for Ministry of Health certification exams.
- Nissim Cohen, a former parliamentary assistant, was previously sentenced to 22 months for bribery and money laundering in a related matter.
- Legal proceedings against other defendants in the bribery case are still ongoing.
The Haifa District Court convicted businessman Mezid Hamdan on Monday for bribery offenses related to Ze'ev Dolinsky, a senior personal advisor to former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. The conviction, handed down by Judge Mohammed Ali, followed Hamdan's admission to a revised indictment as part of a plea agreement.
According to the indictment, filed by lawyers Ido Noiman and Yehoshua Malk of the Tax and Economic Crimes Prosecution, Hamdan facilitated matters for private individuals with government officials, sometimes for payment. He leveraged his long-standing acquaintance with Dolinsky, which originated from their shared activity in the Likud party. Between 2018 and 2020, Hamdan allegedly transferred at least 6,000 shekels to Dolinsky in exchange for assistance in advancing various requests to government bodies and public authorities. These requests covered areas such as planning and construction, licensing, entry permits to Israel, and medical matters, with Dolinsky using his public position and connections to aid them.
Hamdan also collaborated with another defendant, Marwan Rayan, to bribe Dolinsky to advance appeals for individuals who failed Ministry of Health certification exams, specifically for family members of a person whose case they were promoting. As part of the plea deal, the prosecution and defense jointly recommended a sentence of six and a half months of actual imprisonment, to be served as community service. Hamdan also faces a suspended sentence and a fine to be determined by the court.
This case is part of broader legal proceedings. 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 after admitting to multiple counts of bribery and money laundering. His sentence was later reduced to 22 months on appeal to the Supreme Court, and he also received a suspended sentence and a fine. Legal proceedings against other defendants in the case are ongoing, with the Tax and Economic Crimes Prosecution continuing its work on the matter.
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