Kobi Alexander
Photo: AP
Ex-Comverse CEO to turn himself in?
Private investigator who traced Kobi Alexander in Sri Lanka: Deal with FBI finalized
Ex-Comverse CEO and Chairman Kobi Alexander has already finalized a deal that would lead him to turn himself in to the FBI, the private detective who traced the fugitive in Sri Lanka told Ynet Thursday.
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The FBI issued an arrest warrant against Alexander in August as prosecutors indicted him and two other former top Comverse figures over an options scandal.
The private detective, Moshe Buller, was hired by American companies to trace Alexander and was able to do it two nights ago.
"He made a call through Skype or through the hotel to a phone number in Israel, and the phone was traced by European sources," Buller said. "The man was traced late at night and I identified him."
Buller added that Alexander was suspected to be hiding in Israel or Germany, estimates that were proven false. The private eye estimated that Alexander chose to head to Sri Lanka in order to take advantage of the unrest in the country.
Buller also spoke about money transfers from Israel, apparently from a Tel Aviv branch of Bank Hapoalim, to Europe.
'American companies are scared'
"From there, the money was transferred from a Bucharest bank to Sri Lanka, where Alexander withdrew it in local currency," Buller said. He did not reveal who transferred the money but hinted he was referring to Israelis staying in Romania.
The private detective, who is expected to head to New York Thursday, said the information was handed over to the US bodies that hired his services. He added that he will share the information with American authorities if needed.
"FBI investigators are familiar with and appreciate my work," he said.
Buller was hired by US companies that lost money in light of Converse's instability.
"American companies are scared that the collapse of Comverse would cause them many losses. He caused irreversible damages to many companies," Buller said. He added that Alexander's attorney spent the past few days at the FBI office in New York, where a deal to turn Alexander in was apparently worked out.
