Ex-Israel minister given 11 year jail term for spying for Iran

An Israeli court yesterday sentenced former Israeli energy minister Gonen Segev to 11 years in prison for spying for Iran and suppling information to enemy state, Israel Hayom reported.

Segev was sentenced to 11 years after signing a plea bargain that included recognition of his guilt and getting the prison sentence.

According to Israel’s Channel 10, Segev was held in solitary confinement for nine days in a Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) facility in the center of the country and was not allowed to contact his attorneys.

The report added that Segev told interrogators that he did not hand over any classified information to his Iranian handlers, and that he had no ideological or financial motive to help an enemy state.

Sentencing arguments are set to be heard tomorrow while other details of the case remain under gag order.

Segev is suspected of providing his Iranian handlers with intelligence related to, among other things, Israel’s energy industry, security sites, buildings and officials in the Israeli political and security spectrum.

Segev, who served as a minister in 1995 and 1996, is the most senior Israeli official who was indicted for spying for an enemy state.

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