File Photo: Gonen Segev, a former Israeli cabinet minister indicted on suspicion of spying for Iran, is escorted by prison guards as he arrives to court in Jerusalem, July 5, 2018 REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/ FILE PHOTO

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli former cabinet minister admitting to spying for Iran on Wednesday in a plea deal in exchange for an 11-year prison sentence, the Israeli Justice Ministry said.

Gonen Segev, energy minister from 1995 to 1996, was indicted in June. The Shin Bet internal security service said at the time had been recruited by Iranian intelligence while living in Nigeria and had “served as an agent”.

Investigators found that Segev made contact with officials at the Iranian embassy in Nigeria in 2012 and that he visited Iran twice for meetings with his handlers, the Shin Bet said.

Segev, it said, received an encrypted communications system from Iranian agents and supplied Iran with “information related to the energy sector, security sites in Israel and officials in political and security institutions”.

Israel has long been locked in a shadow war with Iran, which supports Islamist guerrillas in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Iran has accused Israel of being behind acts of sabotage and assassinations of scientists involved in its nuclear program.

The court has yet to formally approve the prison sentence agreed with Segev, a physician, who had been jailed in 2004 for attempting to smuggle “Ecstasy” pills into Israel and left the country in 2007 after his release from prison.

He was arrested in May during a visit to Equatorial Guinea and extradited to Israel, Shin Bet said.

There was no immediate response from Iran to the Justice Ministry statement.</s>A former Israeli minister of energy and infrastructure pleaded guilty Wednesday to spying for the Islamic Republic of Iran during multiple meetings with Iranian officials in 2012.

Following an agreement with the Irsaeli Public Prosecutor's office, Gonen Segev, 63, who held office between 1992-95, is set to begin an 11-year sentence.</s>Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Former Israeli official Gonen Segev said Wednesday he spied for Iran in a plea bargain that could land him in prison for 11 years.

Segev, who will be sentenced Feb. 11, told the court he was actually trying to help Israel under the guise of spying for Iran, the Jerusalem Post reported. Segev had served as Israel's energy and infrastructure minister.

Segev was extradited from Equatorial Guinea and arrested last May on suspicion of assisting the enemy in a time of war, spying against the State of Israel and providing intelligence to the enemy.

The former official has already served prison time for drug smuggling, forgery and fraud. Segev, who entered his plea in Jerusalem District Court, told investigators that he never turned over any classified documents to his Iranian handlers and that he had the incentive to help them.

"I wanted to fool the Iranians and come back to Israel a hero," Segev allegedly said during his interrogation. Authorities believe that Segev did give Iranian officials secrets to Israel's energy industry, security sites, buildings and officials in the Israeli political and security spectrum.

Israeli authorities claim that Segev was first approached by Iranian officials in 2012 while he practiced medicine in Nigeria and eventually traveled to Iran twice.

"The plea bargain and amended indictment restore the affair to its natural dimensions," Segev's attorney Moshe Mazor said, the Haaretz reported. "The indictment had been drastically amended, regarding the crimes and the facts, too.

"Note that the prosecution wants to release more information to the public and when that happens, it will transpire that Segev had contact with the Iranians not to help the enemy, which is why the crime of treason was removed from the indictment," Mazor continued.

Israeli prosecutor Geula Cohen said, though, that the crimes Segev entered guilty pleas to speak for themselves.</s>A former minister in Israel has admitted to spying for arch foe Iran as part of a plea deal in exchange for an 11-year prison sentence, the Israeli justice ministry has said.

The ministry on Wednesday said Gonen Segev reached a plea bargain after confessing to severe espionage and passing information to an enemy country.

Segev, energy minister from 1995 to 1996, was indicted in June. The Shin Bet internal security service said at the time that he was recruited by Iranian intelligence while living in Nigeria.

The trial of Segev opened in July but was held behind closed doors, with few details of the accusations publicly released.

Investigators found that Segev made contact with officials at the Iranian embassy in Nigeria in 2012 and that he visited Iran twice for meetings with his handlers, the Shin Bet said.

Segev, who was extradited from Equatorial Guinea and arrested in May, was charged with providing Iran information about "energy market and security sites in Israel".

The ministry said there was a gag order on further details.

Segev, a physician, was jailed in 2004 for attempting to smuggle "Ecstasy" pills into Israel and left the country in 2007 after his release from prison.

Segev served in the Labour government of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin after defecting from the far right to cast the decisive vote in favour of the Oslo II peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Israel has long been locked in a shadow war with Iran, which supports armed groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

Iran has accused Israel of sabotage and assassinations of scientists involved in its nuclear programme.</s>TEL AVIV—A former Israeli minister pleaded guilty to spying for the country’s bitter enemy Iran and faces an 11-year prison sentence, in a case that has gripped the public as Israel tries to thwart Tehran’s attempts to entrench on its border.

Gonen Segev, a former energy and infrastructure minister, admitted to espionage and passing sensitive information to Iran, Israel’s Ministry of Justice said Wednesday. A plea deal was reached after a monthslong closed-door trial and Mr. Segev’s sentencing has been set for Feb. 11.</s>A former Israeli Minister on Wednesday pleaded guilty of spying on behalf of Iran, six months after his arrest, the State Attorney’s Office said.

In an announcement to the Jerusalem District Court, the State Attorney’s office said former minister Gonen Segev, signed a plea bargain, under which he will serve 11 years in jail.

Mr Segev admitted in “serious espionage’’ and “providing information to the enemy,’’ the State Attorney’s office said.

According to Israel’s Shin Bet security service, Mr Segev had met several times with Iranian intelligence officials over the past six years, delivering them information.

In May, Mr Segev was extradited from Equatorial Guinea and arrested in Israel.

Segev, 62, a former parliament member with the right-wing party of Tzomet served as Israel’s minister of energy and infrastructure from 1994 to 1996.

After his political career, he turned to business.

In 2004, he was arrested for attempting to smuggle thousands of ecstasy pills from Amsterdam to Israel.

He admitted guilty amidst a plea bargain and served five years in prison.</s>Gonen Segev, energy minister from 1995 to 1996, was indicted in June. The Shin Bet internal security service said at the time had been recruited by Iranian intelligence while living in Nigeria and had “served as an agent”.

Investigators found that Segev made contact with officials at the Iranian embassy in Nigeria in 2012 and that he visited Iran twice for meetings with his handlers, the Shin Bet said.

Segev, it said, received an encrypted communications system from Iranian agents and supplied Iran with “information related to the energy sector, security sites in Israel and officials in political and security institutions”.

Israel has long been locked in a shadow war with Iran, which supports Islamist guerrillas in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Iran has accused Israel of being behind acts of sabotage and assassinations of scientists involved in its nuclear program.

The court has yet to formally approve the prison sentence agreed with Segev, a physician, who had been jailed in 2004 for attempting to smuggle “Ecstasy” pills into Israel and left the country in 2007 after his release from prison.

He was arrested in May during a visit to Equatorial Guinea and extradited to Israel, Shin Bet said.

There was no immediate response from Iran to the Justice Ministry statement.</s>Israel ex-minister to get 11 years for spying for Iran

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | An Israeli ex-minister charged with spying for the country’s arch-foe Iran has reached a plea bargain with prosecutors that will see him serve 11 years in prison, the justice ministry said Wednesday.

As part of the agreement, Gonen Segev will plead guilty to serious espionage and transfer of information to the enemy, the ministry said in a statement.

The trial of Segev, who served as energy and infrastructure minister from 1995 to 1996, opened in July but was held behind closed doors, with few details of the accusations publicly released.

Segev served in the Labour government of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin after defecting from the far right to cast the decisive vote in favour of the Oslo II peace agreement with the Palestinians.

He has previously served prison time on criminal charges.

In 2004, he was charged with trying to smuggle 30,000 ecstasy pills into Israel from the Netherlands using a diplomatic passport with a falsified expiry date.

The following year, he admitted the charges as part of a plea bargain.

He has also been convicted of attempted credit card fraud.</s>A former Israeli government minister will serve 11 years in prison after he confessed to spying for Iran.

Gonen Segev agreed to a plea deal after admitting 'severe espionage' and passing information to an enemy.

Segev, 63, served as energy minister under prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in the mid-1990s.

He has previously served prison time for trying to smuggle drugs into the country using an expired diplomatic passport.

The ex-minister was extradited from Equatorial Guinea and arrested upon arrival in Israel last May.

He was detained on suspicion of acting as an agent for Iranian intelligence and relaying information about the 'energy market and security sites in Israel'.

The Shin Bet security service initially said Segev met his operators twice in Iran, and also met Iranian agents in hotels and apartments around the world.

Segev's lawyers said the plea bargain for the 11-year sentence removed an initial charge of treason.

'Indeed, Mr Segev did have contact with the Iranians but his motive was not to 'aid an enemy during war',' they said.

He was earlier jailed in 2004 for attempting to smuggle 32,000 illegal Ecstasy tablets from the Netherlands to Israel using old diplomatic documents.

A former doctor whose medical licence was revoked, Segev was released from prison in Israel in 2007 and had been living in Africa in recent years.

Israel considers Iran to be its biggest threat, citing Iranian calls for Israel's destruction, Iran's support for hostile militant groups like Hezbollah and its development of long-range missiles.

Israel has been an outspoken critic of the international nuclear deal with Iran and welcomed the US decision to withdraw from the deal.

More recently, Israeli forces have carried out a number of air strikes on Iranian forces in neighbouring Syria.</s>An Israeli ex-minister charged with spying for the country's arch-foe Iran has reached a plea bargain with prosecutors that will see him serve 11 years in prison, the justice ministry said Wednesday.

As part of the agreement, Gonen Segev will plead guilty to serious espionage and transfer of information to the enemy, the ministry said in a statement.

The trial of Segev, who served as energy and infrastructure minister from 1995 to 1996, opened in July but was held behind closed doors, with few details of the accusations publicly released.
Former Israeli minister Gonen Segev pleads guilty to spying for Iran, in exchange for an 11-year prison sentence.