After decade-long trial, attorney Ronel Fisher gets 9 months’ community service
Prosecution wanted prison for lawyer, convicted of attempted bribery in plea deal; court faults police internal investigation unit for mishandling case, causing prolonged process
The Jerusalem District Court sentenced attorney Ronel Fisher on Tuesday to nine months of community service for his conviction in a major corruption scandal, in a trial that had dragged on for a decade.
The court criticized the police internal investigations unit for its poor handling of the case, saying it caused the prolonged trial process.
Fisher, who was arrested in 2014, eventually agreed to a plea bargain in August 2015, admitting to attempted bribery mediation, obstruction of justice, and receiving property obtained through crime. The plea did not include an agreement on sentencing.
Prosecutors asked for 18 months’ prison time, the Kan public broadcaster reported. Fisher’s defense asked that he not be imprisoned, taking into account the time he had previously spent in jail, and the more than two years he had to wear an electronic tagging bracelet.
In handing down the sentence, the court sharply criticized the Department of Internal Police Investigations, saying its handling of the case was “characterized by faults and deficiencies, including hiding significant investigation material from the defendants and the court, misleading the court regarding various issues, creating difficulties in clarifying the case, and more.”
All these led to the process being “prolonged and complicated, and violated Fisher’s right to due process.”
Fisher was arrested in July 2014 following a year-long investigation for allegedly selling confidential information to then-Ashdod Port union leader Alon Hassan about a corruption case against the port. Fisher was released to house arrest soon after and was re-arrested in April 2015.
He was then investigated on additional charges of passing along information to criminal suspects regarding their cases in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and for transferring money to police officers in exchange for the termination of his defendants’ investigations.
His investigation has led to arrests of police officials, businesspeople, and other attorneys, including former Tel Aviv district attorney Ruth David.
Then-police superintendent Eran Malka was in September 2015 sentenced to eight years in prison for his part in the affair.
Hassan was eventually acquitted by the Beersheba District Court.
The Times of Israel Community.