Yair Peretz (Hebrew: יאיר פרץ, born 2 March 1954) is an Israeli former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shas from 1999 until being convicted of fraudulently obtaining an academic degree in March 2006.
[4] Moved up to ninth place on the Shas list for the 2003 elections,[5] he was re-elected and remained chair of the party's parliamentary group.
[4] However, in December 2004 the Knesset House Committee revoked Peretz's parliamentary immunity so that he could be charged with breach of trust, fraud, and attempted conspiracy.
[6] The charges related to alleged attempts to obtain a bachelor's degree in psychology from Bar-Ilan University, which was uncovered by a police wiretap.
[6][7] After being convicted of fraudulently obtaining an academic degree in March 2006,[7] he resigned from the Knesset, and was replaced by Ofer Hugi (who himself was later imprisoned for various charges related to forgery and fraud).