Crime family is allegedly responsible for murder of former policeman Ben-Or.
By JPOST.COM STAFFtzahi ben-or 298.88(photo credit: Channel 1)
An indictment was issued Sunday morning against the Perinian brothers for their alleged involvement in the murder of former elite policeman turned hit man Tzahi Ben-Or in 2004.
The six-year investigation came close to its end in early August when Negev crime boss Yigal Perinian and known criminal Yoel Musayal were arrested. Two other suspects - Perinian's brothers Oded and Sharon - succeeded in escaping arrest when they allegedly got wind of their imminent capture and fled the country. The four, police said, were suspected of murdering Pinhas Buhbout in 1999 and former elite policeman turned hit man Tzahi Ben-Or in 2004.
The affair began in September 1999 when two hit men - one of them Ben-Or - disguised as policemen assassinated Buhbout in a ward in the Sheba Hospital at Tel Hashomer where he was recovering from a pervious attempt on his life. Ben-Or was arrested shortly afterward and confessed to the murder. He said he was hired by the Perinians.
The former policeman was never convicted and was offered a deal to testify against his employers. Former state attorney Edna Arbel originally opposed to the deal, but in the end agreed and offered him a two-year prison sentence in exchange for his testimony. Ben-Or was eventually released, and after hearing of the deal he planned to sign with the prosecution, the Perinians allegedly decided to murder him. In October 2002, however, he fled abroad and his tracks were lost until he was found murdered in an apartment in Mexico last December.
The investigation, which since Buhbout's murder had been run by the Southern District police, was transferred to the International and Serious Crimes Unit last year after a failure to make a breakthrough.
Yaakov Katz contributed to this report.
