Avitan Shalom gets 7 years jail for possession of firearms, ammunition

PETALING JAYA: Israeli national Avitan Shalom was sentenced to a maximum of seven years in prison by the Kuala Lumpur sessions court, today.

This after the 39-year-old pleaded guilty to possessing 200 rounds of ammunition and six firearms last year.

According to the New Straits Times, Shalom pleaded guilty after the charges were read out to him during a closed-door session before Sessions judge Mohd Zaki Mohd Salleh during proceedings held at the Kajang prison court complex.

The court, Zaki said, was satisfied with Shalom’s guilty plea and found him guilty as charged.

He then sentenced Shalom to seven years in prison for the primary charge and an alternative charge, with both sentences to run concurrently.

The Israeli national was charged with possessing the ammunition and firearms without an arms licence or permit, offences punishable under Section 8(a) of the Arms Act, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment, a fine not exceeding RM10,000, or both, upon conviction.

Shalom’s guilty plea went ahead of his trial, which was set to begin next month.

It is learnt prior to today’s hearing, there had been a dispute over the competency of a Hebrew interpreter and concerns about the language in which the trial would be conducted.