Rivlin Commutes Tycoon Dankner’s Sentence

President Reuven Rivlin announced on Monday that he will commute the sentence of jailed businessman Nochi Dankner, due to health considerations, The Times of Israel reported.

Dankner, the former controlling shareholder of IDB Holding Corp and one of Israel’s best-known entrepreneurs, is serving a three-year sentence for stock manipulation and other offenses.

Last month, Justice Minister Amir Ohana consented to a pardon request for Dankner.

The president’s office said Dankner’s time in prison will be shortened by four months, which will be added to a one-year suspended sentence. As a result, he will be able in the coming days to gain early release, having served two-thirds of the sentence and with good behavior. Otherwise, he would not have been able to file a request for release until May.

“The decision was made based on Dankner’s current medical condition,” the president’s office explained. “These are medical circumstances that were not known to the judges when they announced the sentence, and which, according to medical examinations have been severely exacerbated during his incarceration and require urgent medical intervention.”

However, Dankner’s request to have his criminal record wiped clean was rejected.