Court convicts Israel Land Authority exec of accepting bribe

The Tel Aviv Magistrates Court today handed down the first verdict in the David Appel case. Former Israel Land Administration (ILA) official Oded Tal was convicted of breach of trust and three counts of accepting bribes from Appel, former Polar Investments chairman Avigdor Kelner, and contractor Sami Maslavi.

Judge Dan Mor said, "This is the epitome of public corruption. The accused, a senior public official, exploited his position to obtain large personal benefits. His duty was to stand guard to protect the public's rights to the most valuable public resource, the land. Out of personal motives, the accused knowingly put himself in a position where he closed his eyes to enable a private developer to improve his position in a contract between him and the state. It is no wonder that the public is losing all confidence in public administration and officials."

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 9, 2008

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