Kamm convicted of possession, distribution of intel

State prosecutors approve plea bargain, will submit sentencing recommendations; Kamm: "I'm not thinking about the punishment."

By JPOST.COM STAFF, RON FRIEDMAN
anat kamm court 311 (photo credit: Ben Hartman)
anat kamm court 311
(photo credit: Ben Hartman)
The Tel Aviv District Court on Sunday convicted Anat Kamm of possession and distribution of secret information without permission after she pleaded guilty to the offenses as part of a plea bargain approved by the state prosecution.
Kamm was expected to be transferred to a community service center following the conviction.
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Kamm refused to discuss her possible sentence.
"We agreed to a plea bargain today. Out of respect for the court, I don't intend on discussing the sentence.  Today I admitted to committing the crimes attributed to me. I'm not thinking about the punishment. What's written in the law is out of my hands," Kamm stated.
The state prosecutors intend to submit their sentencing recommendations to the Defense Ministry's Department of Information Security regarding the documents which were in Kamm's possession and transferred to Haaretz journalist Uri Blau.
The defense will also submit their professional opinion in regards to the documents.
Kamm was originally charged with espionage with intent to harm national security, having leaked classified information to Blau. Kamm had collected the material while serving as assistant to the bureau chief of then-OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh between 2005 and 2007.
The plea deal means that Kamm will not face a life sentence as she might have had the original indictment stood; the maximum penalty for possession and distribution of secret information is 15 years in prison.
The sides failed to reach an agreement on the sentencing, with Kamm’s lawyers asking for a suspended prison sentence or community service and the state pushing for a ten-year prison sentence.
Blau’s article that was published in October 2008 and accused the IDF of defying a High Court of Justice ruling against killing wanted Palestinian terrorists who could have been captured alive, used information gleamed from documents Kamm had copied and delivered to Blau.
Kamm was identified by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) in late 2009 as the source of the leak, and she has been under house arrest since December of that year.
Blau has yet to be indicted.