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Moti Maman, who met with Iranian agents and discussed the possibility of assassinating Israeli officials, is sentenced to 10 years in prison
The Be’er Sheva District Court sentenced 72-year-old Moti Maman from Ashkelon, who was found guilty last December of contacting a foreign agent and illegally entering a hostile country. The judges noted: “Significant attention must be paid to the time of the offences, which occurred during the war.”
This was reported by Kan News.
Moti Maman, who was accused of being recruited by Iran to carry out assassination attempts on Israeli officials, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The court’s decision states that Maman acted for financial reasons, committing crimes related to illegal entry into a hostile country and contacts with a foreign agent. He received several thousand dollars from Iranian officers, conducted financial negotiations with them and demanded a million dollars. At the same time, Maman posted on social media in support of the Likud party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The court also stressed the seriousness of the time of the crimes, as they took place during a war when Iran is a significant enemy of Israel and the Israeli military is fighting on several fronts. The court noted that Maman persisted in his actions, meeting with hostile persons in enemy territory, which gave the impression that the ideological motive prevailed over the financial one. In Maman’s favour, the court took into account his participation in the First Lebanon War and the supply of food to military bases after 7 October.
Maman pleaded guilty after the filing of an amended indictment as part of a plea agreement. According to the indictment, he entered Iran twice and met with Iranian agents. During these meetings, they discussed the possibility of Maman committing terrorist acts in Israel aimed at undermining the security of the state.
Maman also admitted that during his meetings with Iranian agents he discussed the possibility of assassinating Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Galant, Shabak Chairman Ronen Bar or former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, as well as mayors of cities using explosive devices. Maman also admitted to planning to create special assassination teams in Russia and the United States to kill opponents of the Iranian regime, as well as to hiding funds in Israel for other individuals.
The prosecutor’s office reported that Maman, acting on motives of financial gain, demanded an advance of one million dollars from the Iranian intelligence services before performing any actions. Because of this, his meetings with the agents did not lead to specific terrorist or espionage activities, as the Iranian agents demanded.
Maman’s lawyer, Eyal Beserglik, said after the verdict: “The prosecution filed the amended indictment after lengthy negotiations. Although the prosecutor’s office refuses to call these changes a plea bargain, the amended indictment takes into account most of our positions regarding the actions attributed to Maman and confirms his lack of consciousness at the first meeting, as well as the fact that he did not actually do anything and was forced to listen to the demands out of fear for his life if he refused the second meeting.”
“There is no doubt that Maman made a serious mistake in his judgement, and therefore he is charged with contacting a foreign agent and illegally entering a hostile country. However, it is important to emphasise that Maman is not accused of treason or espionage,” Beserglik said.
Source: Kan News
