National Transitional Council (NTC) Commander Shlomo Meshulam, who led the investigations into Cases 1000 and 2000, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a defendant, is currently in Serbia conducting legal proceedings involving Srulik Einhorn, a former advisor to Netanyahu.
Meshulam is joined by Chief Inspector Gil Rachlin, who previously questioned Yair Netanyahu and former Communications Ministry director-general Shlomo Filber in the high-profile corruption cases.
In recent days, the two investigators also took an open testimony from Netanyahu himself as part of the emerging “Qatargate” affair. They are now expected to focus on Einhorn’s testimony, during which he will be asked to explain his role in two separate cases concerning conduct inside the Prime Minister’s Office and his direct involvement in them.
Two affairs under investigation
In the classified documents case, Einhorn is expected to face questions about how a classified document — allegedly related to Israel-Egypt relations — was transferred to the German tabloid Bild. He is expected to claim he was unaware of the document’s classified status and that he was acting under instructions from Netanyahu’s office.
In the "Qatargate" affair, Einhorn is expected to explain his involvement in conveying messages on behalf of a political figure representing Qatar, messages that aimed to influence public discourse in Israel. His associates anticipate that Einhorn will argue that he acted within his official duties as an advisor in the PMO.
The testimonies being collected in Serbia may shed new light on the conduct of political leadership and close advisors at the highest levels, and could bolster existing investigative lines concerning Netanyahu’s inner circle in recent years.
Israeli officials in contact with Serbian counterparts
On Sunday, Channel 13 reported that Israel Police's Lahav 433 corruption authorities would travel to Serbia to conduct a legal deposition of Einhorn.
According to Channel 13, Israeli officials have been in contact with Serbian counterparts in an effort to question Einhorn, formerly a close adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The deposition is expected to take several days and will be conducted by both Israeli and Serbian investigators, Channel 13 noted.
Einhorn has not returned to Israel since the investigation began, and previous attempts to depose him in Serbia were unsuccessful.
Walla reported that both the Israel Police and the Justice Ministry have previously refrained from formally approaching Serbian authorities to advance the deposition request.