A-G briefed on Lieberman case

Weinstein not due to make decision on fraud, money laundering affair this month.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
lieberman glasses profile 311 AP (photo credit: AP)
lieberman glasses profile 311 AP
(photo credit: AP)
Freshly appointed Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein was briefed bystate prosecutors on the police investigation into Foreign MinisterAvigdor Lieberman, Hebrew media reported on Thursday.
The Justice Ministry did not immediately reply to a request seekingconfirmation of the meeting.
According to reports, the meeting was attended by state prosecutorMoshe Lador,  the head of the State Prosecution Economic Department,atty. Avia Elef, and other state prosecutors who had accompaniedpolice during the investigation.
Weinstein has only begun studying the case materials, and is notexpected to make any decision on the case over the coming month,according to reports.
In August 2009, the Israel Police said evidence existed to chargeLieberman for taking bribes, fraudulently receiving goods, violatingpublic office, obstructing justice, harassing witnesses, andlaundering millions of shekels using a host of shell companies andbank accounts.
The recommendation, which carries a surprisingly large number ofcharges, came after a special unit of the National Fraud Unit and theLahav 433 Unit completed a three-year investigation, headed byLt.-Cmdr. Shlomi Ayalon.
A police source told The Jerusalem Post that Lieberman had contactedwitnesses in the investigation despite being asked by police not to doso, resulting in the recommendations that he be charged with harassingwitnesses and obstruction of justice.
Shortly after the police recommendation was reported, Lieberman issueda statement saying that the decision was without foundation, and thathe was the victim of political persecution.
"For 13 years the police have conducted a campaign of persecutionagainst me," he said.
Lieberman said the stronger he and his political party became, the more the campaign to "remove me from public activity" intensified.
"There was not one real reason to open an investigation against me,"
he said, adding that if the suspicions against him were substantiated,
the investigation would not have taken more than a decade.
Herb Keinon contributed to this report