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Head of Rich Foundation defends pardon

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The head of the Marc Rich Foundation said Tuesday that former U.S. President Bill Clinton's pardon of Rich is justified and he doesn't understand the uproar over it.

Avner Azulay, the head of the Jerusalem-based foundation, said many prominent people thought the case for a pardon had merit, particularly in light of Rich's humanitarian work and his desire to return to the United States to visit family members and the graves of his father and daughter.

"As a fact, Mr. Rich has been helping the Jewish people and Israel for many, many years in humanitarian causes, and helping with all he can do, not only his money, also with his connections when they were necessary," said Azulay, displaying a thick folder of letters from American, Israeli and European personalities supporting the pardon request.

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"And what he was asking for was the help to support his plea for pardon so he could visit his daughter's grave, he could visit his father's grave, he could visit his family in New York.

"We asked for help through normal channels," Azulay said. "They considered the case, they saw the man had a lot of merits, it had a lot of merits to the case, and if they helped, and they did, there is no problem with that."

Azulay, who coordinated the effort to win the pardon, said he found the uproar over the pardon puzzling.

"I think the hate for Mr. Clinton, which I think is one of the best presidents the United States has ever had in the last years, and the good that he has done to Israel and the Jewish people, I can't understand the uproar, I simply can't put it in logical terms," Azulay said.

Rich and his business partner, Pincus Green, were two of 140 people Clinton pardoned hours before he left office January 20. Rich's pardon, however, has ignited a firestorm because of his status as an international fugitive when it was granted.

Federal prosecutors indicted him in 1983 on charges of tax evasion, fraud and participation in illegal oil deals with Iran. Before he could face trial, Rich left the country and settled in Switzerland.

Federal prosecutors who originally brought the case said they were never consulted about the pardon.

In an written opinion piece last weekend in the New York Times, Clinton said he felt the pardon was justified and rejected assertions that he pardon Rich because Rich's former wife gave $450,000 to his library.



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