Ex-Israeli minister is charged in ecstasy case

[emad]

From The Independent

By Eric Silver in Jerusalem
10 May 2004

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Israeli ministers are no strangers to the men in blue. Even Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister, is being investigated on suspicion of taking bribes.

Three decades ago a housing minister committed suicide rather than face trial for misusing public funds. Yitzhak Rabin stood down as prime minister in 1977 when his wife was accused of currency offences. More recently an interior minister went to jail for financial irregularities.

But Gonen Segev, the energy and infrastructure minister from 1995 to 1996, broke the white-collar mould yesterday when he was charged with attempting to smuggle 30,000 ecstasy pills from Amsterdam to Israel. Mr Segev, 48, is also accused of using an expired diplomatic passport to avoid customs checks.

Tel Aviv magistrates remanded him in custody until the trial opens on 27 May. Two alleged accomplices, his cousin, Moshe Werner, and a lawyer, Ariel Friedman, were charged with him. The police said the trio were business partners who had also imported condoms, Viagra and mobile phones.
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More:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=519720

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