Nahum Manbar
Encyclopedia
Nahum Manbar is an Israel
i businessman who was involved in arms trade with Iran
. He was convicted in series of crimes against Israel's national security and served 14.5 years in prison
, prior his release in October 2011
.
Givat Haim
in 1946. He served as an officer in the Paratroopers Brigade
of the IDF
. In 1984 he left Israel after several failed business ventures, and has since lived in France
and Switzerland
. He had entered the arms trade business, setting up companies in Poland
and France. In 1994 he became a sponsor of Hapoel Jerusalem B.C..
In 1994 he was accused by Washington of selling components for mustard gas and nerve gas to Iran in defiance of a US embargo and was barred from entering the United States
. In 1997 the Israeli security services contacted a Polish businessman who was willing to testify against him and on 27 March 1997, upon arrival in Israel, Manbar was arrested by the Shin Bet. His detention was revealed several weeks later. In May he was indicted and his case was brought before the Tel Aviv District Court
.
, Sarin
and Soman
. He also provided Iran with information and know-how to produce mustard gas. The indictment also stated that he had not reported to the intelligence forces about his contacts until August 1992, despite several meetings with members of the security forces. Despite committing himself to stop his illegal activity, he continued to do so for over a year. The court also rejected his claims for lack of criminal intent
and established that he had known about Abbasfour's senior position.
On July 16, 1998 he was unanimously convicted of collaboration with an enemy and providing information to an enemy and sentenced to 16 years in prison. and has since been serving time in the "Nitzan" prison in Ramle.
Manbar appealed to the Supreme Court of Israel
but his appeal was denied on December 5, 2000. In 2007 applied a request for parole, having been described as a well-behaved prisoner. However, the Shin Bet and Mossad objected, and in early 2008 his request was denied by the Jerusalem District Court. It was argued that he might be recruited by Iran.
Benjamin Netanyahu
had contacted the presiding judge in the case, Amnon Straschnov, to lobby for a harsh sentence for Manbar. Netanyahu's office denied the allegations. Zichroni further alleged that a female member of his defense team, attorney Pninat Yanai, passed along privileged information about Manbar to Straschnov - with whom, Zichroni claimed, she was having a sexual affair. Yanai, who had been fired from her duties and was also a friend of Netanyahu's spokesman, denied those allegations as well.
Another reason offered for the prosecution of Manbar was the death of two Mossad agents who were tailing Manbar's Iranian contact in Vienna in 1993.They were riding on a motorcycle and had an accident. Some in the Israeli media speculate that his arrest and trial was a form of saving face for the agency. To this day, the identities of the agents is a state secret, though the name of one, Immanuel Sonino, has been reported outside Israel.
Ex-Mossad
agent Victor Ostrovsky
pointed out that Manbar was given a small pool of lawyers to choose from and that the trial was conducted behind closed doors. He also said Manbar had contacts in the Israeli security services and that several deals with Iran had been made in the past.
Others also considered it a link in a chain of shady deals between Israel and Iran that goes back to the Iran-Contra affair
, and that he had taken the fall for the Israeli military and security industry.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i businessman who was involved in arms trade with Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. He was convicted in series of crimes against Israel's national security and served 14.5 years in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, prior his release in October 2011
October 2011
October 2011 is the tenth month of the current year. It began on a Saturday and ended after 31 days on a Monday.- Portal:Current events :This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from October 2011....
.
Career
Manbar was born in kibbutzKibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
Givat Haim
Givat Haim
Givat Haim was a kibbutz located around 5 kilometres south of Hadera in Israel. Founded in 1932 by European immigrants, it was originally called Kibbutz Gimel, but was later renamed in honour of Haim Arlosoroff, who was assassinated in 1933....
in 1946. He served as an officer in the Paratroopers Brigade
Paratroopers Brigade (IDF)
The Paratroopers Brigade , also known as the 35th Brigade, is a unit of paratroopers within the Israel Defense Forces , and forms a major part of the Infantry Corps....
of the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
. In 1984 he left Israel after several failed business ventures, and has since lived in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He had entered the arms trade business, setting up companies in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and France. In 1994 he became a sponsor of Hapoel Jerusalem B.C..
In 1994 he was accused by Washington of selling components for mustard gas and nerve gas to Iran in defiance of a US embargo and was barred from entering the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1997 the Israeli security services contacted a Polish businessman who was willing to testify against him and on 27 March 1997, upon arrival in Israel, Manbar was arrested by the Shin Bet. His detention was revealed several weeks later. In May he was indicted and his case was brought before the Tel Aviv District Court
Israeli judicial system
The Israeli judicial system consists of secular courts and religious courts. The law courts constitute a separate and independent unit of Israel's Ministry of Justice...
.
Trial
According to the charges, he had made contact through an Iranian mediator with Majed Abasbur, then the head of the Iranian chemical weapons development project. A deal was signed between Manbar's Mana Investments International company and Iran's section 105B, represented by Abbasfour. Between 1992 and 1993 he had provided Iran with ingredients of chemical weapons, equipment and expertise, and was paid $16 million by 1994 after providing elements of mustard gas and three types of nerve gas: TabunTabun (nerve agent)
Tabun or GA is an extremely toxic chemical substance. It is a clear, colorless, and tasteless liquid with a faint fruity odor. It is classified as a nerve agent because it fatally interferes with normal functioning of the mammalian nervous system...
, Sarin
Sarin
Sarin, or GB, is an organophosphorus compound with the formula [2CHO]CH3PF. It is a colorless, odorless liquid, which is used as a chemical weapon. It has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction in UN Resolution 687...
and Soman
Soman
Soman, or GD , is an extremely toxic chemical substance. It is a nerve agent, interfering with normal functioning of the mammalian nervous system by inhibiting the cholinesterase enzyme. As a chemical weapon, it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations according to UN...
. He also provided Iran with information and know-how to produce mustard gas. The indictment also stated that he had not reported to the intelligence forces about his contacts until August 1992, despite several meetings with members of the security forces. Despite committing himself to stop his illegal activity, he continued to do so for over a year. The court also rejected his claims for lack of criminal intent
Criminal intent
Criminal intent is the plan of a person to commit a crime. Criminal intent can be one of the requirements for convicting someone for a crime. Advocates for proving criminal intent believe that a person is only a criminal if they intended to do the crime....
and established that he had known about Abbasfour's senior position.
On July 16, 1998 he was unanimously convicted of collaboration with an enemy and providing information to an enemy and sentenced to 16 years in prison. and has since been serving time in the "Nitzan" prison in Ramle.
Manbar appealed to the Supreme Court of Israel
Supreme Court of Israel
The Supreme Court is at the head of the court system and highest judicial instance in Israel. The Supreme Court sits in Jerusalem.The area of its jurisdiction is all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. A ruling of the Supreme Court is binding upon every court, other than the Supreme...
but his appeal was denied on December 5, 2000. In 2007 applied a request for parole, having been described as a well-behaved prisoner. However, the Shin Bet and Mossad objected, and in early 2008 his request was denied by the Jerusalem District Court. It was argued that he might be recruited by Iran.
Controversy
The trial was laden with controversy. Manbar's attorney, Amnon Zichroni, alleged that Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
had contacted the presiding judge in the case, Amnon Straschnov, to lobby for a harsh sentence for Manbar. Netanyahu's office denied the allegations. Zichroni further alleged that a female member of his defense team, attorney Pninat Yanai, passed along privileged information about Manbar to Straschnov - with whom, Zichroni claimed, she was having a sexual affair. Yanai, who had been fired from her duties and was also a friend of Netanyahu's spokesman, denied those allegations as well.
Another reason offered for the prosecution of Manbar was the death of two Mossad agents who were tailing Manbar's Iranian contact in Vienna in 1993.They were riding on a motorcycle and had an accident. Some in the Israeli media speculate that his arrest and trial was a form of saving face for the agency. To this day, the identities of the agents is a state secret, though the name of one, Immanuel Sonino, has been reported outside Israel.
Ex-Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
agent Victor Ostrovsky
Victor Ostrovsky
Victor John Ostrovsky is an author, artist and former katsa for the Israeli Mossad . He authored two non-fiction books about his service with the Mossad: By Way of Deception, a New York Times No. 1 bestseller in 1990, and The Other Side of Deception several years later...
pointed out that Manbar was given a small pool of lawyers to choose from and that the trial was conducted behind closed doors. He also said Manbar had contacts in the Israeli security services and that several deals with Iran had been made in the past.
Others also considered it a link in a chain of shady deals between Israel and Iran that goes back to the Iran-Contra affair
Iran-Contra Affair
The Iran–Contra affair , also referred to as Irangate, Contragate or Iran-Contra-Gate, was a political scandal in the United States that came to light in November 1986. During the Reagan administration, senior Reagan administration officials and President Reagan secretly facilitated the sale of...
, and that he had taken the fall for the Israeli military and security industry.