Meretz candidates petition to identify MKs suspected of corruption
Mossi Raz and Gaby Lasky ask attorney general to fight police decision to postpone investigation until after elections, arguing the public should know about allegations before voting.
Two candidates on Meretz's Knesset list petitioned the Attorney General on Monday to begin the investigation of four MKs suspected of transferring public funds to close associates before the March 17 election following Ynet's report that their interrogation would only begin after the elections.
Mossi Raz and attorney Gaby Lasky requested a transparent investigation.
The decision to delay the interrogation because of the proximity to the elections was made after consultation with officials from the Justice Ministry. The MKs to be investigated in the affair are not from Yisrael Beytenu, which has been the center of a separate corruption probe.
"Recent media reports have revealed that four sitting Knesset members are currently suspected of alleged involvement in the corruption scandal that was exposed about a month ago, which was tied to the names of ministers and members of Knesset from Yisrael Beytenu and other senior figures in the public sector," wrote Raz and Lasky in their petition.
"We turn to you as a result of the police decision to prevent the release of their names before the upcoming elections to Knesset, and demand that you instruct that they be investigated before the elections, in an open and public process."
The two wrote that it was unacceptable for MKs "who enjoy parliamentary immunity, and whose deeds should be publicly transparent and known, to apparently be suspects in affairs such as this, let alone before elections, while the wider public doesn't know about it, and even risks sending them to Knesset again."
Raz and Lasky added that the involvement of MKs in such affairs damages the public's faith in the political system, and they therefore think it is necessary to investigate them as soon as possible "in order to know if, in light of their involvement, they have the ability to run for Knesset, and just as importantly, to allow the public to judge for itself and decide whether to trust them once more."
They concluded the letter to the attorney general by saying that the public needs "representatives who are beyond reproach, and not those whose names are tied to all kinds of scandals. It is your duty to ensure this."
Lasky said that "in a civilized country, when any suspicion arises, we hold an immediate investigation to prevent causing a public bias. It's very easy for us to find out after the elections that they committed criminal offenses. It’s the duty of all the law enforcement authorities to carry out an investigation as soon as it hears about the allegations, just as they treat regular citizens. Furthermore, this decision raises serious question marks about its purpose – who is interested in postponing the investigation until after the elections, and why."
