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Dudu Topaz
Photo: Yaron Brener

Entertainer Dudu Topaz indicted

Former television personality to face multiple counts of criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault and obstruction of justice as State indicts him for allegedly going after media, TV figures

The State Prosecutor's Office filed formal charges against entertainer Dudu Topaz, Thursday.

 

The indictment, filed with the Tel Aviv District Court, includes multiple counts of conspiracy to commit a crime, aggravated assault and obstruction of justice.

 

Topaz is accused of targeting top TV executives Avi Nir and Shira Margalit of Channel 2's Keshet and Reshet TV (respectively) and agent Boaz Ben Zion; as well as planning assaults on famed television figures Tzvika Hadar, Erez Tal and Avri Gilad, and targeting Amos Regev, editor in chief of Israel Hayom Newspaper.  

 

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According to the police, he was also plotting against his ex-wife Roni Chen and her husband Haim Zenati. Topaz has denied these allegation.

 

The State Prosecutor's Office also filed indictments against Topaz's alleged accomplices in the case Daniel Zanko, Saliman Hiadra (33) and Eiman Zabidath (21).  

 

'Something came over me.' Topaz (Photo: Yaron Brener)

 

The prosecution asked the court to remand Topaz for the duration of the legal proceedings against him. Attorney Anat Ben Zeev, for the State, told the court that "Topaz was adamant to retaliate against top media figures he believed were to blame for his career stalling, and in order to accomplish his plan he hired the services of others, who agreed to mercenarily attack people at his will."

 

Topaz, continued the prosecution, "is a violent, dangerous arch-criminal," adding Topaz confessed to the hiring of Zanko as the middleman in Nir's assault. He was paid several thousand dollars for his part.

 

Topaz's attorneys Avigdor Feldman and Zion Amir said in the past that the fact that the evidence in the case was based on Topaz's detailed confessions indicated that he did not intend to obstruct the investigation.

 

Fallen star  

Several days into his detainment the 62-year-old attempted suicide in his prison cell, injecting himself with an overdose of insulin so to invoke hypoglycemic shock, which is potentially life threatening. A diabetic, he was allowed to insulin with him in his cell.

 

He was treated by medical staff on site and rushed to Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. The court ordered he be put on suicide watch, and several day later he was discharged from the hospital and remanded back to police custody.

 

"I'm so sorry, I apologize to the three people who were hurt. I don’t know how I found myself in this situation," Topaz told the court after the indictment was read.

 

"Something just came over me, something psychiatric. I've been taking a lot of pills. I'm not a threat to the public and your honor knows that. I tried to kill myself after three days. Being in a holding cell causes me such mental anguish," he continued.

 

The prosecution argued that the court should deny bail, citing Topaz was a flight risk. "I won't try to run," he pleaded with the court. "I haven’t seen my kids in six weeks and I don’t want my eight-year-old coming to a holding cell."

 

Zion Amir then asked the court to order a full psychiatric evaluation of Topaz.

 


פרסום ראשון: 06.18.09, 11:59
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