Ex-Presidential Advisor Convicted of Bribery
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
Mezid Hamdan was convicted of bribery by the Haifa District Court as part of a plea deal for paying Ze'ev Dolinsky, a former senior advisor to ex-President Reuven Rivlin, to advance his and his clients' interests. Hamdan paid at least 6,000 shekels between 2018-2020 for help with government and public authorities. The plea deal recommends six and a half months of community service. Another defendant in the case, Nissim Cohen, received a reduced sentence of 22 months for bribery and money laundering.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Mezid Hamdan convicted of bribery for paying former presidential advisor Ze'ev Dolinsky.
- Hamdan paid at least 6,000 shekels between 2018-2020 for Dolinsky's help.
- Dolinsky used his position to advance requests on planning, permits, and medical issues.
- The plea deal suggests six and a half months of community service for Hamdan.
- Another defendant, Nissim Cohen, received a 22-month sentence for bribery and money laundering.
The Haifa District Court convicted Mezid Hamdan on Monday of bribery charges, based on his admission in a revised indictment as part of a plea deal. Hamdan, who promoted the interests of private individuals before government bodies, often for payment, exploited his long-standing acquaintance with Ze'ev Dolinsky, a former senior personal advisor to President Reuven Rivlin. Their connection stemmed from joint activities in the Likud party. Between 2018 and 2020, Hamdan paid Dolinsky at least 6,000 shekels to help advance requests concerning planning and construction, licenses, entry permits to Israel, and medical matters. Dolinsky used his public position and government contacts to facilitate these requests. Hamdan also collaborated with another defendant, Marwan Ryan, to bribe Dolinsky to advance appeals for family members who failed Ministry of Health certification exams. Judge Muhammad Ali convicted Hamdan of bribery offenses. 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. Earlier this year, Nissim Cohen, a former parliamentary assistant to Knesset Member Yitzhak Vaknin, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for bribery and money laundering offenses. His sentence was later reduced to 22 months after an appeal to the Supreme Court.