Police slam Lieberman's 'unrestrained tongue-lashing'
Commissioner Dudi Cohen angered by designated minister's Yedioth Ahronoth interview, in which he said investigations against him reminiscent of days of Stalin
Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen on Friday slammed remarks made by Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman in an interview to the Yedioth Ahronoth daily, in which the designated minister spoke of the investigation being held against him.
"Knesset Member Lieberman's unrestrained tongue-lashing against the detectives of the unit investigating him is a serious and unreasonable matter," the police's national headquarters said in a statement.
In the interview, Lieberman said that "people keep telling me everything is coincidental. And of course the decision to summon the head of my election campaign, and my daughter, two weeks before the elections, was also coincidental. And the leaks were also coincidental. As my daughter was making her way to the police, this was already reported on all websites."
Lieberman went on to say, "It's clear that this is not a coincidence. There must be someone here preparing the big drama. The method used here is the same one used by the NKVD (secret police) during Stalin's era. Then too, in the 1930s, trials were conducted in order to break people.
"Family members are being threatened, threats are made on all levels and in all directions. And when they leak stuff, it's allowed. But if I were to say something, they would immediately say that I was obstructing the investigation proceedings. As far as I'm concerned, they can bite me. The police have climbed such a tall tree that they're unable to come down anymore."
The police said in response that "Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen and head of the police's Investigations and Intelligence Unit, Major-General Yoav Segalovich, express full support and confidence in the National Fraud Investigation Unit's detectives, and its commanders back the activity which is being carried out professionally and with dignity."
'Investigators are animals'
Lieberman also slammed the leaks on his daughter's medical condition. "It's clear that this was done in order to pressure me. There was no reason to interrogate my daughter two weeks before the elections. It's clear to me that these are animals, not human beings."Michal suffers from an innate medical problem. When she was in the investigation room she felt unwell and fainted, and they called an ambulance. This was immediately leaked to the media. This is a moment I won't forgive them for."
As for the timing of the questioning sessions, the police said, "The decisions on the timing of the interrogation and its execution were made in light of the evidence in this case."
Lieberman is also expected to be questioned in the near future.
