Man who found Majdy Halabi's remains seeks $10M prize
Acquaintance of missing IDF soldier, who happened to find remains, says reward offered by Born to Be Free is rightfully his. 'Promises should be kept,' say his lawyer
Ibrahim Kozli, the man who found missing IDF soldier Majdy Halabi's remains, said Monday that he hopes to collect the $10 million reward offered by the Born to be Free foundation, for information leading to Halabi's whereabouts.
Kozli, 26, was a childhood friend of Halabi's. The Daliyat al-Karmel resident was busy cutting down trees which were burnt down in the Carmel Fire when he stumbled upon the remains. Kozli told Ynet that he participated in the search for his friend when he went missing in 2005. "I deserve the reward and will not give up the money," he said.
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The $10 million prize was promised to whoever provided valid information regarding the missing soldier, but Born to be Free has actually suspended its activities in recent months, after the State stopped funding its operations.
"I'm seriously considering filing a suit against the foundation," Kozli, who already hired a lawyer, said. "They should keep their promises."
Attorney Wajdi Ka'abiyeh added: "Our suit will not only focus on the money but on the need to keep promises, especially under such circumstances, where missing soldiers are involved; otherwise people won't believe organizations offering rewards and won't continue searching, if they figure out it was a lie."
Kozli further stressed: "The family of the deceased must be respected… I know whoever found the body should receive the full prize, but we need to wait a few days and let the family recover." he explained.
Should the foundation default on the reward, "We will file a suit against the Defense Ministry and Born to Be Free," his attorney stressed.
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