President Shimon Peres on Monday commuted the sentence of former Likud MK Naomi Blumnethal, who was convicted of bribery and obstruction of justice.

Peres has changed Blumenthal's eight month prison term to community service, according to the Ynet Web site.

While the Ministry of Justice has already been notified, the president's office has yet to officially confirm the decision.

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Last week, Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann recommended easing the jail sentence given to Blumenthal, citing the recent death of her husband and other contributing factors.

Blumenthal was convicted of bribing 15 Likud activists and central committee members. She hosted them and their spouses in the Ramat Gan hotel before the December 2002 party primaries, in a bid to win votes ahead of the elections.

She was sentenced to eight months in jail and ordered to pay a NIS 75,000 fine.