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.