Former Presidential Advisor Convicted of Bribery

Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba

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Zeid Hamdan was convicted of bribery after admitting to giving at least 6,000 shekels to Dovinsky, a senior advisor to former President Reuven Rivlin, between 2018 and 2020. Hamdan used Dovinsky's position to advance his and his clients' interests, including in planning, licensing, and medical matters. Hamdan also allegedly conspired with Marwan Rayan to bribe Dovinsky regarding Ministry of Health exam appeals. Hamdan faces a recommended sentence of six and a half months of community service.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

Zeid Hamdan convicted of bribery for paying former presidential advisor Dovinsky at least 6,000 shekels.
Payments were made between 2018-2020 to advance Hamdan's and clients' interests with government bodies.
Dovinsky used his public position and connections to facilitate requests concerning planning, licensing, and medical issues.
Hamdan and Marwan Rayan allegedly bribed Dovinsky to help family members pass Ministry of Health exams.
Hamdan faces a recommended sentence of six and a half months of community service.
Nissim Cohen, another defendant, received a 22-month prison sentence for bribery and money laundering.

Former Presidential Advisor Convicted of Bribery — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Zeid Hamdan has been convicted of bribery offenses following a plea deal and an amended indictment. Hamdan, who promoted the interests of private individuals before government bodies, often for payment, exploited his long-standing acquaintance with Dovinsky, a senior advisor to former President Reuven Rivlin, to advance his and his clients' financial interests. Their relationship stemmed from joint activities within the Likud party.

Between 2018 and 2020, Hamdan transferred at least 6,000 shekels to Dovinsky in exchange for assistance with government and public authority requests, including in planning and construction, licensing, entry visas to Israel, and medical matters. Dovinsky utilized his public position and connections to facilitate these requests.

Furthermore, Hamdan, along with another defendant named Marwan Rayan, allegedly bribed Dovinsky to advance appeals for family members who failed Ministry of Health certification exams. The Haifa District Court, presided over by Judge Muhammad Ali, convicted Hamdan based on his confession. The plea agreement recommends 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 to be determined by the court.

In a separate but related case earlier this year, Nissim Cohen, a former parliamentary aide to then-MK Yitzhak Vaknin, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison (later reduced to 22 months by the Supreme Court) for multiple bribery and money laundering offenses. The plea agreement for Cohen was made by his lawyer and the Tax and Economic Crimes Prosecution, represented by attorneys Ido Nulman, Yehoshua Malk, and Tamar Bornstein.