'Pushed into corner.' Fares
Photo: Ben Kelmer
Rejected claims. Ashkenazi
Photo: Yaron Brener
Recommended to resign. Eisenkot
Photo:Avishag Shaar-Yashuv
IDF general dismissed over lie appeals to Supreme Court
Brig.-Gen. Imad Fares, who was dismissed from service after giving false testimony about accident involving wife, military vehicle, asks court to reverse decision, claiming his hearing was faulty, unfair
Brigadier-General Imad Fares on Monday appealed to the Supreme Court over a Tel Aviv District Court decision not to overturn former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi's decision to dismiss him from the IDF.
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Fares was convicted of falsifying a written report, for which he was reprimanded, and breaking army regulations, for which he received a warning, after he allowed his wife to drive his military-issued vehicle contrary to regulations and told his commander he was in the vehicle with her when she got into a minor accident.
In the appeal, filed by attorneys Avi Amiram and Rami Bublil, Fares recounted the chain of events from his point of view.
Fares insisted that after the accident his personal driver added Fares' name as a witness in the report filed to the insurance company without his knowledge.
However, on the report handed to the Military Police it was stated that Fares' wife drove the vehicle without Fares' presence.
'Felt like a putsch'
Fares admitted telling Major General Gadi Eisenkot that he was at the scene of the fender bender with his wife, but explained that he was under a lot of distress at the time because minutes before the conversation he received a phone call notifying him that his nephew, who serves as a combat soldier in Golani, was killed in action.After the notice turned out to be false, Fares decided to correct his "inaccurate" report in a personal meeting with Eisenkot, which took place several days later.
The day after speaking with Eisenkot, Fares arrived at the Military Police base and gave his testimony. Fares claimed that contrary to what he was told, the investigation was conducted under warning.
Fares further claimed that in addition to the Military Police investigation, Ahskenazi convened several officials including Eisenkot, Military Advocate General Avichai Mandelblit and Major-General Avi Mizrahi for consultation.
According to Fares, Ahkenazi decided to cancel his appointment as commander of the IDF regiment commanders' course without requesting to hear his version of the story first.
'Trapped in avalanche'
In his appeal, Fares claimed that Eisenkot told him during their meeting that according to the Mandelblit, Fares signature is on a false document (the insurance report) and that he will have to be prosecuted due to the criminal nature of the offense.Eisenkot then recommended that Fares resign from his post due to the extensive media coverage and public exposure that the case might involve.
Fares said he felt as though he was "trapped in an avalanche," adding that had he known at the time that he was not really signed on the document, he would have rejected Eisenkot's suggestion to quit.
After his conversation with Eisenkot, Fares met with Ashkenazi, who also urged him to resign.
"The move felt more like a putsch," claimed Fares, adding that he felt that he was being pushed back into a corner and therefore had no choice but to accept their suggestion to quit.
A few days later, Fares reconsidered his decision to resign, and asked to hold another meeting with Ashkenazi, in which he tried to explain that his dismissal from the IDF was too harsh considering that it was based on false data.
Ashkenazi rejected Fares' claims and told him that if he goes back on his decision to quit the IDF, he will face further investigation, including over the use of fuel.
Meanwhile, Fares asked to postpone his dismissal from the IDF until the Supreme Court rules on his appeal.
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