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Last update - 09:50 08/06/2009
Ex-finance minister Hirchson guilty of multimillion shekel fraud
By Ofra Edelman, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel News, Abraham Hirchson 

The Tel Aviv District Court on Monday convicted former finance minister Abraham Hirchson of multimillion shekel fraud.

Hirchson was on trial for stealing NIS 2.5 million from the National Workers Organization while serving as its chairman.

The court rejected Hirchson's claims that he had no knowledge of any wrongdoing.
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"Hirchson's defense arguments were far-fetched and came out of the blue," the court said. "His continuous attempts to minimize his involvement and responsibility have proved futile."

The indictment claims that between 1998 to 2005, a total of NIS 12.3 million was stolen from the NWO and a daughter organization, Nili, and the money was divided between Hirchson and five other employees. These other five have already pleaded guilty and were convicted in plea bargains.

Hirchson is accused of receiving NIS 25,000 a month in cash for expenses, for a total of NIS 1.2 million. In addition, he received a NIS 10,000-30,000 "holiday grant" twice a year, also in cash - totaling another NIS 160,000. Every time Hirchson traveled abroad, the non-profit organization gave him $2,000 to $3,000 in cash. He also took another NIS 600,000 from the NWO to finance his bid in the Likud primaries in 1998 and 2002, according to the indictment.

He is also accused of inflating his car expenses, and receiving payments for meals at fancy restaurants and for medicine.

He was charged with theft, aggravated fraud, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering and forging corporate documents. Hirchson admitted to receiving NIS 1.16 million, but claimed it was an advance on his severance and pension agreement with the NWO, which had yet to be finalized. He paid this sum back to the NWO just before testifying at the trial.

The reason he took the money in cash, Hirchson said during the trial, was because MKs cannot have a second source of income beyond the Knesset. His lawyer, Yaakov Weinroth, said in his conclusion that while Hirchson may be guilty of breach of trust, he was not guilty of theft.

"It is hard to tell what was the nature of the monthly payments that the defendant received throughout the four years at hand, because his testimonies featured contradictions, inconsistencies and irrelevancies," the court further said.

Weinroth said after the hearing that he intends to wait for the verdict before deciding whether to appeal.

"I disagree with the judge that [the defendant's] version was inconsistent," he said.

The other defendants in the affair received sentences ranging from six months of public service to four years and eight months in prison. The prosecution has already told the court it wants to see Hirchson receive a sentence similar to the harshest one already meted out.

Related articles:
  • Ex-finance minister accused of lying to court in graft trial
  • Disgraced ex-finance minister Hirchson 'ashamed' of embezzling millions
  • Hirchson won't say how cash was used
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