By Xinhua,
Jerusalem : Israeli Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann on Sunday turned down pleas to shorten the jail term of Omri Sharon, son of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, saying he saw no possibility of such clemency at present.
Omri Sharon, a former member of the Knesset, Israeli parliament, was sentenced in January to seven months in prison after being convicted of violating political campaign laws when he helped his father in the 1999 Likud Party primaries, a crime that could result in up to five years in jail.
Israeli President Shimon Peres and Friedmann have since received several pleas for mercy from lawmakers, who cited as the main argument the medical condition of the former prime minister, who has been in a coma since being hospitalized in early 2006 for massive brain hemorrhage.
In response, Friedmann concluded Sunday that these claims had already been considered when the court meted out the ruling, noting “no other information indicating any change has been submitted since.”
“Despite the sympathy and consideration for the circumstances surrounding the case, it is not a sufficient basis for advocating a parole,” he added.
Omri’s only hope to cut his remaining four and a half months term now lies in Peres, who has the right to grant pardon, according to local daily Yedioth Ahronoth.