Former senior Shas party official R� Shlomo Benizri appears to have exhausted all his options and is heading for prison, where he will be serving a four-year sentence following a conviction on fraud, bribery, breach of trust and related charges.

Benizri appealed a lighter sentence to the High Court while the state simultaneously appealed, seeking a harsher sentence. The court saw eye-to-eye with the state and increased the former cabinet minister�s sentence to four years. Benizri then called on the High Court of Justice to convene in a larger forum to hear yet another appeal, but this was turned down, signaling the end of his legal battle to avoid a jail sentence.

Justice Eliezer Rivlin in his ruling stated that after reviewing the request filed by Benizri�s attorney, he saw no reason to grant yet another hearing in the matter.

(Yechiel Spira � YWN Israel)