Disgraced former minister Gonen Segev was convicted by the Jerusalem District Court of spying for Iran on Wednesday in a plea bargain.

A statement from the prosecution said that the sides would ask the court for an 11-year jail term.

Channel 10 previously reported that Segev admitted to the spying charges, but explained that he was trying to help Israel and return as a “hero” under the guise of spying for Iran.

The former energy and infrastructure minister – who also spent time in jail for drug smuggling, forgery and fraud – was extradited from Equatorial Guinea and arrested in May on suspicion of assisting the enemy in a time of war, spying against the State of Israel and providing intelligence to the enemy.

According to Channel 10, Segev was held in solitary confinement for nine days in a Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) facility in the center of the country and was not allowed to contact his attorneys.

The report added that Segev told interrogators that he did not hand over any classified information to his Iranian handlers and that he had no ideological or financial motive to help an enemy state.

“I wanted to fool the Iranians and come back to Israel a hero,” he was quoted as saying during his interrogation.