Israel indicts ex-cabinet minister over alleged spying for Iran

Israel has indicted a former Israeli cabinet minister on suspicion of spying for Iran, Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service said on Monday.

In a statement, the Shin Bet said Gonen Segev, who served as energy minister in the mid-1990s, “was recruited by Iranian intelligence and served as an agent”

Gonen Segev had been living in Nigeria. He was arrested during a visit to Equatorial Guinea in May and extradited to Israel, where he was indicted on Friday.

Ynetnews reported he was charged with espionage, aiding an enemy in war time, as well as providing information to the enemy.

The former minister and parliamentarian is alleged to have provided details of Israel’s energy industry and security sites in the country, as well as information on political and military officials.

Mr Segev, who is a trained doctor, served in governments led by Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres in 1995 and 1996.

He was jailed for five years in 2005 for trying to smuggle tens of thousands of ecstasy tablets into Israel from the Netherlands and was released two years later.

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