A-G: Decision on Liberman indictment in weeks

Attorney-General's office says steps will be carried out normally, regardless of possible upcoming elections.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Liberman BS 311 (photo credit: Benjamin Spier)
Liberman BS 311
(photo credit: Benjamin Spier)
The Attorney-General’s Office said that steps in the case involving Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) will be carried out normally, regardless of possible upcoming elections, dismissing media reports on the case that speculated a plea deal was in the works.
The Attorney-General’s Office wrote Monday that a decision on whether to indict Liberman will be made in a few weeks.
In a letter to the Movement for Quality Government, Assistant Attorney-General Noa Mishor attempted to dispel rumors published last week that Liberman would be offered a plea deal.
“In order to remove all doubt,” she wrote, “a decision in the case will be made after it is brought before the attorney-general,” including all defense arguments. Therefore, the letter continued, there is no truth to the various recent reports on the case.
The foreign minister is under investigation for charges of fraud, breach of trust, obtaining benefits through deceit, moneylaundering and witness harassment.
According to an earlier draft indictment, Liberman is suspected of receiving millions of dollars from private business people through straw companies between the years 2001 and 2008, while he was a member of Knesset and a cabinet minister.
The Attorney-General’s Office also discussed the possibility of upcoming elections, saying that official directives require that investigations and law enforcement efforts ahead of elections be carried out normally, including in procedures related to elected officials and candidates.
“Accordingly, the Liberman case will also be managed normally, according to the normal procedures,” the letter stated.
The foreign minister has already undergone three hearings, and one year ago, Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein said he would submit an indictment against him.
Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.