Nahum Manbar

Nahum Manbar is an Israeli businessman who was involved in arms trade with Iran. He was convicted in series of crimes against Israel's national security and served 14.5 years in prison, prior to his release in October 2011.

Early life Manbar was born in kibbutz Givat Haim in 1946. His parents were among the founders of the kibbutz. At age 16, he was in the reserve squad of the Israeli national basketball team. He served as an officer in the Paratroopers Brigade after being conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He also served as an instructor at the IDF Officers' College. Manbar fought in the Six-Day War, War of Attrition, and Yom Kippur War. During the Yom Kippur War, he saved the life of Hanoch Saar, who would later serve on his defense team.

Career After his military service, Manbar moved to Tel Aviv and opened up a series of businesses. His business ventures mostly ended with police investigations and indictments for crimes such as fraud, passing bad checks, and stealing checks from government employees. In 1984 he fled to the United Kingdom after being indicted for fraud, imposture, and theft, and was declared by Israel to be a fugitive from justice. He then began selling produce at the Covent Garden market in London, but soon left Britain and entered the arms trade. He set up weapons companies in Poland and France. During his career as an arms trader, he lived in France and Switzerland before settling in Poland and setting up his headquarters in Warsaw. Some of the weapons Manbar sold were purchased from the Polish Army. In 1994 he became a sponsor of Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. and was barred from entering the United States.

In 1997, Deputy Attorney-General for Security Affairs Dvorah Chen concluded that she could prosecute Manbar for harming the security of the state and aiding the enemy in war against Israel. Mossad officials managed to persuade a Polish businessman who served as his right-hand man to agree to testify against him. On March 27, 1997, Manbar arrived in Israel to watch Hapoel Jerusalem compete for the State Cup. Upon arrival, he was arrested by Shin Bet and the Serious Crimes Unit of the Israel Police. His detention was initially placed under a gag order, and was cleared for publication several weeks later. In May he was indicted and his case was brought before the Tel Aviv District Court. and later at HaSharon Prison at the Hadarim Interchange.

Manbar appealed to the Supreme Court of Israel but his appeal was denied on December 5, 2000. In 2007 applied a request for parole, having been described as a well-behaved prisoner. and in early 2008 his request was denied by the Jerusalem District Court. It was argued that he might be recruited by Iran.

Controversy The trial was laden with controversy. Manbar's attorney, Amnon Zichroni, alleged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had contacted the presiding judge in the case, Amnon Straschnov, to lobby for a harsh sentence for Manbar. Netanyahu's office denied the allegations. Zichroni further alleged that a female member of his defense team, attorney Pninat Yanai, passed along privileged information about Manbar to Straschnov—with whom, Zichroni claimed, she was having a sexual affair.

Others also considered it a link in a chain of shady deals between Israel and Iran that goes back to the Iran–Contra affair, and that he had taken the fall for the Israeli military and security industry.

Personal life In France, Manbar met a French woman, Francine. They married on April 21, 1992, and had a son.

Francine gave the Mossad information on her previous husband's dealings with the Condor Argentine Missile Program before her marriage.