Cop indicted for smuggling Palestinians into J'lem

Cop smuggled Palestinia

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Ibrahim Ghanem, a 26-year-old border policeman from Sajur, was indicted on Thursday for smuggling illegal Palestinian workers through a security checkpoint under his command on the northern outskirts of Jerusalem in exchange for bribes and various benefits. Police claim Ghanem smuggled more than 100 illegal workers into the country without any of them undergoing a security check. The charge sheet filed by the police's Internal Investigations Unit on Thursday includes 14 charges, among them: accepting bribes, aiding illegal aliens, fraud and unlawful transport. Three residents of east Jerusalem were also indicted in the case. In some instances Ghanem allegedly smuggled 40 illegal workers at a time, and received NIS 50 for each worker. He is also accused of giving smugglers sensitive information, such as the license plate numbers of Border Police vehicles, and warning them about patrols to catch smugglers and illegal aliens. Police also claim Ghanem disrupted their investigation by erasing from his cellphone the numbers of the smugglers with whom he worked. According to the indictment Ghanem at one point gave one of his accomplices his ID card. The ID card was taken from him by police during the investigation. Police claim Ghanem also relayed false reports to his superiors about routine inspections intended to catch illegal workers - inspections supposedly carried out at the checkpoint. Ghanem is also suspected of arms trafficking. The prosecution has filed a request that the four suspects remain in custody until the end of the legal procedings against them.