Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Deputy Prime Minister, Interior Minister and Health Minister Aryeh Deri from his posts due to the decision of the Supreme Court.
Earlier, the court ruled that the leader of the orthodox Shas party, who was convicted of fraud, accepting a bribe, defrauding public confidence and violating tax laws, was not eligible to hold ministerial posts.
Netanyahu in a statement published in The Times of Israel, noted that he was forced “with a heavy heart and regret” to remove Deri.
“I will look for any legal way that will allow you to continue to contribute to the good of Israel”the prime minister promised.
He also noted that Deri was appointed to positions due to his rich experience and active support of the population, and the court ignored the will of the people.
The leader of the orthodox Shas party in the 1990s was tried for fraud and taking a bribe. He served two years out of three in prison, after which he was released early for good behavior. However, after a year of being at liberty, in 2003, he was tried again – for deceiving public trust, he received three months probation.
In 2012, Deri returned to his activities in the Shas party, in 2015 he was elected to the Israeli Knesset parliament, and in 2016 he became the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for five years.
In 2022, the politician received a third conviction – for violating tax laws. To mitigate the punishment, he refused the deputy mandate, but in November he was again elected to the Knesset.
In December, a law dubbed the “Deri-Smotrich Law” was approved, allowing politicians with suspended prison terms to hold ministerial positions. However, the Supreme Court ruled that Deri could not hold such posts.
