'Lieberman received illegal tip-off'

Police suspect FM was given secret info about investigation against him.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
avigdor lieberman i crush you 311 (photo credit: Yoni Hamenahem)
avigdor lieberman i crush you 311
(photo credit: Yoni Hamenahem)
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was questioned by police on Tuesdayon suspicion of having received in 2008 an illegal tip-off informinghim of the police's suspicions against him, and allegedly allowing himto subvert the course of the investigation.
The tip-off wasallegedly delivered to Lieberman by Israel's former ambassador toBelarus, Ze'ev Ben-Aryeh, who in August 2008 was asked by the IsraelPolice's National Fraud and Lahav 433 units to pass along a request forassistance to law enforcement authorities in Belarus as part of theinvestigation into Lieberman's affairs.
Lieberman was a Knesset member at the time.
Therequest, which was sent to the Embassy in Belarus via the JusticeMinistry, contained confidential information on bank account detailsand individuals in Belarus, according to Hebrew media reports. It was marked "secret," yet Ben-Aryehallegedly opened the envelope, made a copy of the request, and handedover the information to Lieberman a few months later, when the two met in Belarus in 2008.
"Requests for assistance of this kind are very detailed, and are aimedpartly at convincing foreign law enforcement agencies to cooperate inthe investigation. Certainly, the target of the investigation is notsupposed to gain access to such information," a police source told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
The source added that Lieberman answered all questions put to him on Tuesday.
Ben-Aryehnow serves as a diplomatic advisor in the Foreign Ministry and policesay they are "also investigating Ben Aryeh's promotion and employmentin the ministry in recent months."
Lieberman was questioned for two hours on Tuesday, while Ben-Aryeh was questioned in recent days, police said.
In August 2009, the Israel Police said evidence existed to chargeLieberman for taking bribes, fraudulently receiving goods, violatingpublic office, obstructing justice, harassing witnesses, and launderingmillions of shekels using a host of shell companies and bank accounts.
Freshly appointed Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein was briefed bystate prosecutors on the police investigation into Lieberman last month.