From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Israeli jailed in Thailand to serve rest of sentence in Israel
Nati Hadad, an Israeli man who was sentenced in 2018 to four years in prison in Thailand for operating an illegal medical clinic, as well as firearms offenses, will serve out the remainder of his sentence in Israel, President Reuven Rivlin says.
“Thai authorities have decided that Nati Hadad will be transferred to serve the rest of his sentence in Israel,” Rivlin’s office says in a statement.
“President Rivlin would like to express his thanks to the King of Thailand and all those involved in handling the process, which was led by MK Ayelet Shaked.”
Israel has been working for over a year to bring back Hadad, who has been reported to be in ill health. It’s unclear if the decision is related to the coronavirus crisis.
The news comes as Thailand’s prime minister declares a state of emergency following an uptick in cases of the virus there.
Exactly a year ago, Israeli media reported on Hadad’s imminent return, though it apparently never materialized.
The Times of Israel Community.