Shimon Batat
Photo: Shaul Golan
Former Herzog campaign chief convicted of orchestrating Yachimovich smear operation
Shimon Batat, head of Opposition Chairman Herzog's Labor party 2013 primary campaign, convicted as part of plea agreement of failing to apprise state comptroller of donation received to pay party activist to run smear campaign against Herzog's opponent Yachimovich; state calls for suspended sentence.
The Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court convicted Sunday morning Shimon Batat, head of the 2013 Labor party primary campaign for Opposition Chairman MK Isaac Herzog.
Batat as confessed and was convicted as part of a plea bargain of not informing the state comptroller of receiving donations—an offense according to the Parties Law.
Batat's plea agreement with the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office referred him to Israel's parole service, whereas his attorney wished for the parole service to examine the possibility of not convicting him—thereby effectively canceling it.
Fmr. Herzog campaign chief Shimon Batat was convicted of failing to report a donation to the state comptroller, paid for running a smear campaign against Herzog's opponent (Photo: Shaul Golan)
The state, on the other hand, moved for a conviction, a suspended sentence, a fine and community service.
According to the indictment, the charges in which Batat confessed to as part of the plea agreement, early elections in the Labor party were announced in August 2013 and held November 22 of the same year. MK Herzog, who decided to contend for his party's leadership, created a campaign headquarters to that end, and appointed and authorized Batat to act as his campaign manager.
According to the charges which Batat confessed to as part of the plea agreement, Batat met with Daniel Cohen, a Labor party activist, and the two agreed that Cohen will run a smear campaign against MK Shelly Yachimovich, also contending for the party's leadership, by sending text messages with a wide circulation to party members containing links to articles bashing Yachimovich.
It was further agreed that Cohen will receive NIS 40,000 for administering the smear campaign, to be paid at a later date by a messenger sent by Herzog's campaign.
MK Herzog (R)'s campaign smeared MK Yachimovich during the 2013 Labor primaries (Photo: Amit Shabi)
Pursuant to Batat's agreement with Cohen, businessman Gilad Ramot met with Cohen on September 17, 2013, at his Ashdod offices. Ramot notified Cohen he will be participating in his meeting with Batat and will pay for the smear campaign.
Several days later, Ramot sent Cohen by messenger checks belonging to a company he owned made out to Cohen's name—in return for running the campaign against Yachimovich—despite the fact that donations by corporations are forbidden by law.
In return for the payment, Cohen provided Ramot with invoices saying funds were paid for "legal consultation," despite the fact Cohen rendered no such services and meant to obfuscate the true purpose of the payments. Cohen then carried out the smear campaign against Yachimovich in October 2013.
Opposition Chairman Herzog was also questioned on the affair, but the case against him was closed citing lack of evidence, despite the fact that he was apparently aware of the intention to run the campaign against his opponent.
