The Tel Aviv Magistrates Court today convicted businessman David Appel of bribing former Lod mayor Benny Regev, former Givat Shmuel Local Authority head Zamir Ben-Arie, and former Israel Land Administration (ILA) official Oded Tal.
Benny Tavin, who was indicted for acting as the middleman for the bribe payments, was also convicted for paying bribes. Regev and Tal were separately convicted of receiving bribes.
Appel was accused of bribing the three public officials so that they would favor his real estate plans through his company, Migdal Hazohar Ltd. In the case involving Tal, Appel was also convicted of paying a bribe so that Tal would help him on his private house in Tel Baruch in north Tel Aviv.
Appel's indictment in 2003 included three charges. On the first charge, the judges ruled that Appel, through Migdal Hazohar, financed Regev's election campaign to the turn of NIS 1.4 million, and gave Regev other benefits through Tavin. Appel's interest in Lod concerned projects in the Ganei Aviv neighborhood and the rezoning of agricultural land in Moshav Ginaton for residential use.
On the second charge, that Appel gave a NIS 95,000 bribe to Ben-Ari to promote his interest in rezoning land in the Givat Shmuel Local Authority's jurisdiction, the judges ruled that exactly the same things occurred as in the bribes paid to Regev.
On the third charge relating to Tal, the judges ruled that Appel sought to create a sense of obligation by Tal by giving him benefits in kind and promises to employ his wife.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 15, 2010
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