Shas Party leader Aryeh Deri claimed at a Knesset press conference Wednesday that he was targeted regarding his tax offense convictions due to racism.
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Deri, who previously served 22 months in prison from 2000 to 2002 after he was convicted of taking bribes while serving as interior minister, reached a plea deal with the State's Attorney's Office last month. Earlier this week, the court sentenced him to a suspended prison sentence of 12 months and a $60,000 fine for his crimes, including fraud and breach of trust, perjury, tax evasion, and money laundering.
The sentence does not carry moral turpitude so it does not prevent him from running in the next election, and Deri stated he intends to again seek a Knesset seat.
"I am not going anywhere," he told reporters. "I am in my guardpost as head of Shas and will fight from the party office and the Knesset. My friends and I are committed to toppling this wicked government. Shas knows how to fight in the opposition."
In his 50-minute speech, Deri spoke of the difficulties he was subjected to because of the criminal investigation, claiming his name was dragged through the mud.
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"All manners of crimes were thrown into the air, including lies about my wife and my family," he said, further claiming he was prosecuted due to his Moroccan origins.
Deri is not the only politician to receive a plea deal due to corruption charges in recent weeks, with former minister and United Torah Judaism Party member Yakov Litzman admitting to breach of trust in the case of Malka Leifer.
Litzman announced last month that he would not run for parliament again, saying his decision was unrelated to accusations against him.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
