Netanyahu lawyer files complaint against 'false leaks’ in probes
Defense attorney Yossi Cohen accuses investigators who questioned Sara Netanyahu and Yair Netanyahu Monday of leaking 'in real time' information that 'could only have been known to my clients and the investigators'; police dismiss claim as a diversion ploy.
Mrs. Netanyahu, Yair Netanyahu and the prime minister were questioned Monday morning as part of the Bezeq corruption case, also known as Case 4000.
The prime minister was grilled for four hours by his investigators at his official residence in Jerusalem, while his wife Sara was summoned to the offices of the police's Lahav 433 investigations unit and Yair was questioned for the first time at the Israel Securities Authority's offices.
“On Monday, the prime minister’s wife and her son were investigated by Lahav 443 investigators at the Israel Securities Authority's offices. Immediately after the conclusion of the investigation, a witch hunt and lies began, orchestrated and timed around their investigations by different media outlets,” the lawyer Yossi Cohen began in his complaint.
“Several hours after the investigation concluded, news sites began publishing false and distorted claims, about the things that were said by Mrs. Netanyahu in the investigation. Part of the quotes were indeed statements that were made in the investigation about which only the investigators and my client knew,” he continued.
“In real time, facts were published to which only the investigators were privy, such as their request to hold a confrontation with my clients (and the state’s witness—ed.), the fact that Mr. Yair Netanyahu was investigated in the Israel Securities Authority and the nature of the suspicions against him, the versions of my clients regarding the text messages and more and more details that were known only to the investigators,” Cohen claimed.
Cohen said that during the previous investigation of Mrs. Netanyahu, there were leaks that she had been questioned under caution and that the police commissioner had raised his finger at her.
The defense attorney bemoaned the fact that it had been alleged that Mrs. Netanyahu had leaked the information during a break in her questioning, after which the police warned her at the beginning of her next interrogation session.
“This is a preposterous claim. The fact that my client is about to be questioned under caution was published by media outlets at least four days before the date of the investigation,” Cohen complained.
He added that the leaks constituted a flagrant violation by the investigators of the penal code of transfering classified information, a breach of duty, and a breach of trust.
“In light of the above, we request that you investigate the transgressions that were carried out and look into who leaked the false information that found its way to the media,” he added. “I would seek your response regarding previous complaints that I filed after the previous investigation of my client.”
Shortly after Cohen’s complaint, the police rebuffed the claims, implying that it was an effort to divert attention from the investigation. The police “do not intend to be dragged into actions aimed at harming the police's duty to reach the truth,” a statement said in response.
The Netanyahu couple were presented for the first time with details revealed in testimony given by their former media advisor, Nir Hefetz, who recently signed a state's witness agreement in the case.
Over the last two weeks, Hefetz has sat with investigators who have compiled masses of testimony relating to the case, which erupted in February when the Israel Securities Authority completed its inquiry into Elovitch's ties with Netanyahu and the suspicion he enjoyed benefits for Bezeq in return for favorable coverage of Netanyahu on the Walla! News website, which is fully owned by Bezeq.
Hefetz allegedly presented evidence to the interrogators, some of which are backed up by documents and recordings about the behind-the-scenes moves.
He identified himself as the individual who acted as the liaison between the Netanyahu family and Walla! News CEO Ilan Yeshua.
