Ex-Justice Ministry official arrested as corruption probe of well-known lawyer expands
Former official suspected of leaking information to Ronel Fisher during her tenure at Justice Ministry.
An investigation into a well-known Israeli attorney suspected of bribing police in return for information to help his clients, led Wednesday to the arrest of a former senior official in the Justice Ministry.
The investigation into attorney Ronel Fisher has led to a spate of arrests, including former Maariv publisher Ofer Nimrodi and an as-yet unnamed businessman from a major company.
The former Justice Ministry official, who worked at the State Prosecutor's Office, had a regular working relationship with a high-ranking lawyer. According to suspicions, she was directly involved in some of the alleged crimes, and is suspected of obstruction of justice and other violations of integrity.
The police internal investigations department suspects that she was involved in contacts with business people under investigation, and is suspected of leaking information that she received from Fisher. The investigation into her conduct began after approval from State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan.
The suspect held senior posts in the Justice Ministry and was involved in the decision-making process for sensitive cases. She now works as a lawyer in a private practice and in recent years had business ties to Fisher.
According to a state witness, and information taken from Fisher's cell phone by police, she was also allegedly involved in some of the illegal activity committed by Fisher. A decision on whether to extend her remand was to be made Wednesday.
This week, Fisher had his remand extended by five days. Eran Malka, a retired police superintendant from the national fraud squad arrested for his alleged role in the affair, also had his remand extended. The investigation is also focusing on a judge, who according to Malka, had a troubling connection to Fisher.
