Hirchson. Strange envelopes
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Ynet obtained Wednesday a draft of what may be the official indictment against former Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson, pending a court hearing.
According to the indictment, in 1998 Hirchson, Ovadia Cohen and accountant Gideon Ben-Zur conspired to steal funds from Nili, an organization that operated educational institutions, and the Histadrut Labor Federation.
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"Between the years 2000-2003, and after that until 20005, the defendants stole millions of shekels from Nili in a variety of ways," according to the draft.
The checks were transferred in envelopes to a female employee in Hirchson's home in Tel Aviv. In addition, the draft said, twice, at the Jewish New Year and Pesach, Hirchson would receive "holiday gifts" of up to NIS 30,000 (about $7,000).
For each trip abroad the former finance minister received $2,000-3,000. He traveled abroad 50 times during that period, the draft of the indictment said.
According to the indictment, Hirchson had dined at expensive restaurants and was reimbursed by the Histadrut throughout a five year period. During this period he submitted receipts and was reimbursed with a sum totaling NIS 63,000 (roughly $15,636). The list of restaurants where Hirchson dined is also listed in the indictment. According to the indictment Hirchson paid a sum of NIS 3,300 (roughly $819) for a single meal at one of these restaurants.
According to the prosecution, during this period Hirchson served as a Knesset member and chairman of the Knesset's Finance Committee, which prohibited him from receiving such reimbursements. He was also reimbursed by the Histadrut for meals taken at the Knesset totaling tens of thousands of shekels.
Hirchson was charged with 11 additional defendants for theft, fraud under severe circumstances and breach of the corporation's trust, money laundering, and false registration in the corporation's documents.
Attorneys Eli Cohen and Ilan Azoulay representing the Cohen brothers who are among the defendants, said in response to the indictment: "The brothers were shocked at the severity. We shall study the evidence prior to the hearing and we are confident that we shall succeed in presenting our side of the story before the prosecution."