Cabinet approves Deri as Interior Minister 23 years after scandal forced him from post

Deri was convicted of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, sentenced in 2000 to three years of prison, and served 22 months in jail.

By HERB KEINON
Aryeh Deri (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Aryeh Deri
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
The cabinet on Sunday unanimously approved the appointment of Shas head Aryeh Deri as Interior Minister, 23 years after he was forced to resign that post because of corruption charges.
Deri was convicted of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, sentenced in 2000 to three years of prison, and served 22 months in jail.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Deri and said he had two main challenges in the job: preventing illegal migrants from entering the country and deporting those already here, and altering city and municipal boundaries to allow for a more equitable distribution of city taxes.
Deri's path back to the Interior Ministry was paved last week when Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ruled that there were no legal impediments to him taking up this post, even though it sends a “problematic message” to the public.
The Interior Ministry portfolio became vacant following Silvan Shalom's resignation last month following accusations of sexual misconduct.