The Supreme Court must decide if the politician can maintain his position in the Executive despite his disqualification after being convicted of tax fraud.

The far-right coalition imposed its majority in the Knesset (Parliament) at the end of last year and approved a controversial law that allows Deri to occupy a ministry, although the judges showed their skepticism about the measure.

According to the amendment to the Basic Law -with constitutional rank- a person will only be disqualified from holding public office if they have served prison terms.

Deri left the legislature in January of last year as part of a plea deal for tax crimes, although he returned to the floor in the elections held in early November. The politician also served 22 months in prison from 2000 to 2002 for accepting bribes while serving as Interior Minister.

The Israel Hayom diary revealed on Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not challenge an adverse ruling and will fire Deri, who has warned that he will not resign.

The newspaper added that the sentence, however, will be used by Netanyahu to charge the Court in the midst of an Executive campaign to reform the justice system, which is rejected by broad sectors of Israeli society, and the opposition in full.

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