By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
The National Police Fraud Squad in Bat Yam will investigate complaints of forgeries in the Likud's election for its Knesset slate last Thursday, police officials said on Tuesday.
MK Yechiel Hazan, who won the 44th slot on the Likud list, complained to police that more votes were counted than cast in the race. The head of the Likud's election committee, retired judge Zvi Cohen rejected appeals issued to him and Likud Director General Arik Brami by Hazan and other candidates for a recount of votes.
Brami's decision to expel eight Likud activists for their efforts to topple Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu resulted in a decision by the activists to drop their effort. The activists met at Petah Tikva's Caf Bangkok Tuesday and decided not to risk getting expelled, even though they believe strongly that Netanyahu should not head the Likud.
"We are staying in the Likud and we will be there long after Bibi," Likud activist Moshe Bibi told Channel 1 at the cafe. "Bibi destroyed the Likud. We need a candidate like MK Silvan Shalom who can bring us 40 mandates."
Netanyahu announced a series of appointments in the Likud campaign on Tuesday. Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin will head the campaign, MK Yuval Steinitz will head its strategic team, MK Gideon Sa'ar its public relations team and former minister Natan Sharansky and MK Yuli Edelstein its campaign in the Russian immigrant sector. Former Bezeq chairman Izzy Tapoohi will be the campaign treasurer.