An Israeli court handed down a ten-year prison sentence to Moti Maman after he was found guilty of maintaining ties with foreign operatives from Iran.
In their ruling, the judges emphasized: “Motivated by financial gain, he committed offenses of entering an enemy state and contacting a foreign agent; he received several thousand dollars from Iranian officers, negotiated with them financially, and requested a million dollars. While doing so, he published posts on social media supporting Likud and Netanyahu.”
They pointed out that the crimes were committed during an especially critical period — wartime — when Iran poses a major threat to Israel, and while the IDF is engaged in battles across various fronts.
Despite the risks, Maman continued to engage with hostile actors while inside enemy territory, suggesting that ideological motives may have been just as influential as financial ones. The court did acknowledge in his favor that Maman served in the First Lebanon War and had provided supplies to multiple military bases since the outbreak of the current conflict.
Last December, Maman, who is 72 years old, was found guilty after admitting to charges of unlawfully traveling to an enemy country and establishing contact with a foreign agent.
This case marks the first conviction of its kind since the beginning of the Swords of Iron campaign. Meanwhile, several other cases are progressing, where Israeli citizens stand accused of conspiring with Iranian agents to attack Israel or its people.
Maman admitted during the investigation that he met repeatedly with Iranian intelligence operatives on Iranian soil, asserting that he acted largely out of financial interest.
Court documents reveal that Maman made two separate trips to Iran, where he engaged in discussions with Iranian agents about potentially orchestrating terror attacks within Israel, posing significant threats to national security. His meetings with Iranian officials were reportedly fueled, in part, by the targeted killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Iran’s desire to retaliate.
The indictment detailed: “The Iranian agents discussed with the defendant during the meetings the possibility that the defendant would assassinate senior Israeli figures in Israel, including Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, and ISA head Ronen Bar.”
It was further stated, “Other options for carrying out terrorist and espionage activities in Israel by the defendant were discussed. This included examining the possibility of assassinating former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett or certain mayors using an explosive device, establishing dedicated assassination cells in Russia and the United States by the defendant, which would be activated with the aim of murdering opponents of the Iranian regime, and carrying out money laundering in Israel for others.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
