State leans toward indicting Boaz Harpaz

Weinstein decides to indict Harpaz on charges of forging a document aimed at influencing appointment of incoming chief of general staff.

Harpaz 311 (photo credit: Channel 10)
Harpaz 311
(photo credit: Channel 10)
Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein has decided to indict Lt.-Col. (res.) Boaz Harpaz on charges of forging a document aimed at influencing the appointment of the incoming chief of general staff, unless the defendant tries to persuade him not to within the next 30 days, the Justice Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.
“Mr. Harpaz and his lawyers were informed of their right by law to submit an appeal within the next 30 days stating their reasons why Harpaz should not be put on trial,” the ministry statement said.
It was not clear from the statement whether Harpaz’s lawyers would be granted a hearing in the matter or whether they would submit written arguments only.
The spokesman added that, in coordination with Weinstein, Military Advocate-General Brig.- Gen. Avihai Mandelblit had decided there was no evidence indicating that any officers were involved in the so-called “Galant document” affair, which came to be known as the “Harpaz document” after Harpaz admitted he had forged it.
Furthermore, according to the statement, “other aspects of the affair” would be examined by the attorney-general and the military advocate-general after State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss completed his investigation of Harpaz.
The “other aspects” mentioned in the Justice Ministry statement referred to other allegations involving Harpaz, including the fact that he was forced to leave the army after he was found to have a computer in his home that contained classified documents as well as other instances of problematic behavior.