Criminal jailed in Thailand will serve rest of sentence in Israel

An Israeli convict who was sentenced in 2018 to four years in prison in Thailand for operating an illegal medical clinic, returned to Israel this morning to serve the rest of his sentence, according to the Times of Israel.

In July 2017, Nati Haddad was arrested on charges of operating an unlicensed clinic and possessing illegal firearms and ammunition and was sentenced to 18 months to prison.

The 36-year-old was removed from a prison on the Thai island of Ko Samui on Thursday and transferred to the capital, Bangkok.

He arrived at Bangkok International Airport yesterday and boarded an overnight El Al flight to Israel that landed at Ben Gurion Airport.

According to The Times of Israel, Haddad has already served a year and 11 months of his sentence.

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In addition to improving his prison conditions, by moving to Israel, he will be able to participate in local rehabilitation programmes that could qualify him for # early release within the next six months.

Thai authorities approved the extradition a month ago following a campaign by Israeli diplomats, including President Reuven Rivlin, who personally sent a request to Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

In March 2019, Ayelet Shaked and Gilad Erdan, former justice and internal security ministers, approved Haddad’s extradition request.

The same flight also included two Israelis who were arrested a few months ago for being in possession of cannabis, Channel 12 reported.