[JURIST] A court in Tel Aviv ruled Monday on an appeal [JURIST report] by Omri Sharon [JURIST news archive], reducing his prison sentence for corruption from nine to seven months. Sharon, son of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, pleaded guilty in 2005 to charges of campaign finance violations [JURIST reports] that included falsifying corporate documents and lying under oath. His plea avoided more serious fraud charges. Sharon's lighter sentence reflects good behavior demonstrated since his guilty plea; Sharon has renounced his parliamentary immunity and has given up his seat in the Knesset [official website]. Monday's court ruling also delayed the start of Sharon's sentence until the end of July, so that Sharon can continue to spend time with his comatose father [JURIST report].

Sharon's defense team is expected to launch another appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court [official website, in Hebrew], seeking to further reduce his sentence. In Monday's ruling, one of the three judges recommended that Sharon's sentence be commuted to community service. AFP has more.