国际英语新闻:Israeli former minister pleads guilty of spying for Iran

JERUSALEM, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- A former Israeli minister on Wednesday pleaded guilty of spying on behalf of Iran, six months after his arrest, the State Attorney's office said.

In an announcement to the Jerusalem District Court, the State Attorney's office said former minister Gonen Segev signed a plea bargain, under which he will serve 11 years in jail.

Segev admitted in "serious espionage" and "providing information to the enemy," the State Attorney's office said.

According to Israel's Shin Bet security service, Segev had met several times with Iranian intelligence officials over the past six years, delivering them information.

In May, Segev was extradited from Equatorial Guinea and arrested in Israel.

Segev, 62, a former parliament member with the right-wing party of Tzomet, served as Israel's minister of energy and infrastructure between 1994 and 1996.

After his political career, he turned to business. In 2004, he was arrested for attempting to smuggle thousands of ecstasy pills from Amsterdam to Israel. He admitted guilty amidst a plea bargain and served five years in prison.