AP - Court upholds sentence for Sharon's son

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http://www.blnz.com/news/mstory.xrap?articleId=12240896&buyerId=BLNZcom&channelId=1227

ARON HELLER
AP News
Jan 28, 2008 13:38 EST

Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's eldest son will go to prison next month for illegal fundraising during his father's 1999 primary campaign after Israel's Supreme Court on Monday rejected his appeal for a more lenient sentence.



Sharon's lawyers had pleaded with the court to consider the circumstances at the time of the offenses — his mother was dying from cancer, and he was a newcomer to politics who was unfamiliar with campaign finance laws.

Legal expert Moshe Negbi said that while he sympathized with Sharon's personal plight, the ruling marked an important legal precedent.

"It is the first time the legal system sends a clear message that crimes committed during a political campaign are severe, and a man needs to pay for them with his freedom," he told Israel Radio