RELIGIOUS JEW LISTENS TO ARIEH DERI TRIAL AND PRAYS ON JERUSALEM STREET, 1999-03-17 (photo)

An ultra-orthodox Jew who supports the Shas party and its leader Arieh Deri listens to a portable radio as he recites prayers for Deri outside the Jerusalem District Court March 17 as the court begins its session to read its verdict in the nine-year-old affair. Deri was found guilty by the three-judge court on three charges including bribe taking, fraud and breach of public trust. The court acquitted the 40-year-old political kingpin on two additional charges, that of falsifying documents and a second bribery charge. The Shas party is Israel's third largest political party after the Likud and the Labour parties, and holds 10 seats in the Knesset (Parliament). The man is wearing Deri stickers and carries a prayer book. JWH/AA