Ex-zionist minister faces indictment over corruption

Israeli police has recommended the formal indictment of ex-Defence Minister and Member of Knesset Benjamin Ben-Eliezer over “serious corruption charges,” Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

The charges will include money laundering, tax evasion and bribery, the Israeli newspaper said.

The investigation team has found new evidence against Ben-Eliezer, who held senior political posts, including Minister of Industry, Trade and Labour, Minister of Defense, Deputy Prime Minister, chairman of the labor party and its candidate for presidency.

Israeli police has begun the investigation since June, five days before the presidential elections, which forced him to withdraw from the race. Police obtained evidence that Ben-Eliezer has received millions of shekels from businessmen throughout the past few years, and through which he was able to purchase a luxury house in the city of Jaffa, worth 9 million shekels.

Investigators have monitored a $400,000 transfer to Ben-Eliezer from businessman Avraham Nanikashvili, and another a $350,000 check which he cashed from an exchange office in Tel Aviv.

A safe belonging to Ben-Eliezer containing over $500,000 in a Jerusalem bank has also been found.

Israeli police suspects that Ben-Eliezer has received hundreds of thousands of shekels during his tenure in office in exchange for helping a businessman with real estate deals in Egypt, capitalising on his amicable relations with a leading figure in the Mubarak regime.

Ben-Eliezer has attended a number of interrogations as part of the graft probe, but he was unable to refute the charges brought against him.

The Israeli Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein, is scheduled to reach a final decision regarding the indictment in the coming few weeks.