19 dec 2019
Three locals arrested on suspicion of invasion of privacy and other offenses month after confiscation of commercial van belonging to intelligence firm
Cyprus police on Thursday arrested three employees of a high-tech surveillance equipment company owned by an Israeli former intelligence officer amid a probe of the firm’s business activities.
Police said the two men and one woman, ages 30, 35 and 41, were under investigation for suspected breaches of private communication and personal data laws.
They face 13 possible charges, including conspiracy to commit a criminal act and obtaining registration under false pretenses, Cyprus police said.
All three are due to appear in court on Friday for a custody hearing.
Police launched a probe of the company, Cyprus-registered WiSpear, following reports that alleged a van supposedly crammed with sophisticated surveillance technology was used to spy on people on the east Mediterranean island nation.
WiSpear has denied any wrongdoing, saying it neither sold nor rented “intelligence systems” to Cypriot authorities and doesn’t provide “intelligence services” for clients.
The company said the van was used on Cyprus only for demonstration purposes and field testing and with the knowledge of local authorities.
Concerns about the van, which authorities confiscated, were first raised by the leader of the communist-rooted party AKEL.
Cypriot Attorney General,Costas Clerides appointed an independent criminal investigator to help police. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said he would “never tolerate” violations of anyone’s privacy.
WiSpear was incorporated in 2013 and began operating four years later. It is run by Tal Dillian, an Israeli who an earlier Forbes video showed boasting about the vehicle’s surveillance capabilities.
In a statement issued two weeks ago, Dillian described a “witch hunt” against him and insisted that his company didn’t commit “any illegal activity whatsoever.”
He faulted Cypriot investigators for “either stalling” or lacking “the necessary technical expertise” to handle the case and charged that law enforcement was either being “influenced by the media” or “coming under pressure” by unnamed “parties” to issue arrest warrants.
“Given the fact that our company is a Cypriot company, it is now very clear that the hostility, especially from certain political parties, is targeting our Israeli ethnicity and aims to destabilize Cypro-Israeli relations,” Dillian said.
Dillian said any arrests would be “legally unjustifiable” and insisted that he fully cooperated with investigators from the outset of the probe.
He added that he was considering moving his business out of Cyprus, saying “this kind of behavior by Cypriot authorities will hurt the country appealing to any foreign investors and international companies.”
Cyprus police on Thursday arrested three employees of a high-tech surveillance equipment company owned by an Israeli former intelligence officer amid a probe of the firm’s business activities.
Police said the two men and one woman, ages 30, 35 and 41, were under investigation for suspected breaches of private communication and personal data laws.
They face 13 possible charges, including conspiracy to commit a criminal act and obtaining registration under false pretenses, Cyprus police said.
All three are due to appear in court on Friday for a custody hearing.
Police launched a probe of the company, Cyprus-registered WiSpear, following reports that alleged a van supposedly crammed with sophisticated surveillance technology was used to spy on people on the east Mediterranean island nation.
WiSpear has denied any wrongdoing, saying it neither sold nor rented “intelligence systems” to Cypriot authorities and doesn’t provide “intelligence services” for clients.
The company said the van was used on Cyprus only for demonstration purposes and field testing and with the knowledge of local authorities.
Concerns about the van, which authorities confiscated, were first raised by the leader of the communist-rooted party AKEL.
Cypriot Attorney General,Costas Clerides appointed an independent criminal investigator to help police. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said he would “never tolerate” violations of anyone’s privacy.
WiSpear was incorporated in 2013 and began operating four years later. It is run by Tal Dillian, an Israeli who an earlier Forbes video showed boasting about the vehicle’s surveillance capabilities.
In a statement issued two weeks ago, Dillian described a “witch hunt” against him and insisted that his company didn’t commit “any illegal activity whatsoever.”
He faulted Cypriot investigators for “either stalling” or lacking “the necessary technical expertise” to handle the case and charged that law enforcement was either being “influenced by the media” or “coming under pressure” by unnamed “parties” to issue arrest warrants.
“Given the fact that our company is a Cypriot company, it is now very clear that the hostility, especially from certain political parties, is targeting our Israeli ethnicity and aims to destabilize Cypro-Israeli relations,” Dillian said.
Dillian said any arrests would be “legally unjustifiable” and insisted that he fully cooperated with investigators from the outset of the probe.
He added that he was considering moving his business out of Cyprus, saying “this kind of behavior by Cypriot authorities will hurt the country appealing to any foreign investors and international companies.”
U.S. court orders imprisonment of former Yukom CEO for involvement in large-scale wire fraud, scamming over $145 million in investors' money; lawyer shifts blame on employees
A U.S. court in Maryland sentenced an Israeli woman Thursday to 22 years in prison for orchestrating a scheme that prosecutors said defrauded tens of thousands of investors across the globe out of tens of millions of dollars.
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang told Lee Elbaz, 38, her actions cost vulnerable investors their life savings, homes and even their marriages.
"This was a very significant crime with significant harm to victims," the judge said.
In August, a federal jury in Greenbelt, Maryland, convicted Elbaz of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Elbaz, who had been free on bail and living with a relative in San Francisco while awaiting trial, was taken into custody immediately after the jury's verdict.
In a court filing last week, prosecutors said the scheme involving Elbaz and others cost investors more than $137 million between May 2014 and June 2017. But the judge calculated that $28 million was the loss that could be attributed to Elbaz's role in the scheme.
FBI agents arrested Elbaz in September 2017 after she traveled to New York.
Elbaz is one of 21 defendants charged in the fraud case and was the first to be tried. Five pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
Elbaz was CEO of Yukom Communications, an Israel-based company that operated in the "binary options" industry under the brand names BinaryBook and BigOption. A superseding indictment unsealed in November charged 15 people, including two former Yukom Communications company owners, with participating in the fraud scheme involving BinaryBook and BigOption.
The binary options market largely operates outside the U.S. through unregulated websites. The payout on a binary option typically is linked to whether the price of a particular asset, such as a stock, rises above or falls below a specified amount at a particular time, at which point the investor receives either a pre-determined amount of cash or nothing.
Yukom employees pretended to be from other countries, lied about their professional qualifications and adopted "stage names." Elbaz used the alias "Lena Green" while interacting with investors, according to prosecutors.
Yukom employees also falsely guaranteed profits, lied about their rates of return and didn't tell investors that they only made money if their customers lost money, prosecutors said.
An email instructed BinaryBook sales representatives to target retirees, Social Security recipients, pension holders and veterans as clients, according to court filings accompanying guilty pleas by former employees.
Elbaz's indictment cites a September 2015 email from one employee to co-workers about a sales "marathon," a competition to obtain deposits from investors.
"This is not a cemetery here! It's a boiler room!" the employee wrote.
Elbaz trained employees to lie to investors and rigged the odds against them making and recouping any money, Justice Department prosecutor Rush Atkinson said during the trial's closing arguments.
"There is no way this fraud happened without Lee Elbaz," Atkinson said. "Everybody told the exact same lies because that is what Ms. Elbaz trained them to do."
Defense attorney Barry Pollack said Elbaz did not condone any of the fraudulent tactics used by employees who worked under her supervision at a call center in Caesarea, Israel. Elbaz urged her employees in writing to "work clean," her attorney said at the close of the trial.
"The employees that were defrauding clients were also defrauding Ms. Elbaz," Pollack said. "She was trying to prevent (fraud)."
A U.S. court in Maryland sentenced an Israeli woman Thursday to 22 years in prison for orchestrating a scheme that prosecutors said defrauded tens of thousands of investors across the globe out of tens of millions of dollars.
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang told Lee Elbaz, 38, her actions cost vulnerable investors their life savings, homes and even their marriages.
"This was a very significant crime with significant harm to victims," the judge said.
In August, a federal jury in Greenbelt, Maryland, convicted Elbaz of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Elbaz, who had been free on bail and living with a relative in San Francisco while awaiting trial, was taken into custody immediately after the jury's verdict.
In a court filing last week, prosecutors said the scheme involving Elbaz and others cost investors more than $137 million between May 2014 and June 2017. But the judge calculated that $28 million was the loss that could be attributed to Elbaz's role in the scheme.
FBI agents arrested Elbaz in September 2017 after she traveled to New York.
Elbaz is one of 21 defendants charged in the fraud case and was the first to be tried. Five pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
Elbaz was CEO of Yukom Communications, an Israel-based company that operated in the "binary options" industry under the brand names BinaryBook and BigOption. A superseding indictment unsealed in November charged 15 people, including two former Yukom Communications company owners, with participating in the fraud scheme involving BinaryBook and BigOption.
The binary options market largely operates outside the U.S. through unregulated websites. The payout on a binary option typically is linked to whether the price of a particular asset, such as a stock, rises above or falls below a specified amount at a particular time, at which point the investor receives either a pre-determined amount of cash or nothing.
Yukom employees pretended to be from other countries, lied about their professional qualifications and adopted "stage names." Elbaz used the alias "Lena Green" while interacting with investors, according to prosecutors.
Yukom employees also falsely guaranteed profits, lied about their rates of return and didn't tell investors that they only made money if their customers lost money, prosecutors said.
An email instructed BinaryBook sales representatives to target retirees, Social Security recipients, pension holders and veterans as clients, according to court filings accompanying guilty pleas by former employees.
Elbaz's indictment cites a September 2015 email from one employee to co-workers about a sales "marathon," a competition to obtain deposits from investors.
"This is not a cemetery here! It's a boiler room!" the employee wrote.
Elbaz trained employees to lie to investors and rigged the odds against them making and recouping any money, Justice Department prosecutor Rush Atkinson said during the trial's closing arguments.
"There is no way this fraud happened without Lee Elbaz," Atkinson said. "Everybody told the exact same lies because that is what Ms. Elbaz trained them to do."
Defense attorney Barry Pollack said Elbaz did not condone any of the fraudulent tactics used by employees who worked under her supervision at a call center in Caesarea, Israel. Elbaz urged her employees in writing to "work clean," her attorney said at the close of the trial.
"The employees that were defrauding clients were also defrauding Ms. Elbaz," Pollack said. "She was trying to prevent (fraud)."
Judges decide to leave unchanged Issachar's 7.5-year prison sentence on charges of drug possession after hours-long appeal hearing; mother: 'no justice, this is Russia'
Russian court on Thursday decided to leave unchanged the punishment of an Israeli woman jailed in Russia for seven years over drug offenses.
The 26-year-old Naama Issachar was arrested in April while in transit at a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9.5 grams of cannabis. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling. She was sentenced to seven years in prison by a Moscow court last October.
The appeal hearing kicked-off with the Israeli confronting the judge by denying she has admitted to the charges against her.
Issachar, who was sitting in a glass cell inside the courtroom, said she was forced to sign documents in the Russian language without knowing what they meant. She speculated that her final confession might have been fabricated, as there were no interpreters in the room at the time she was asked to sign her confession.
The judge said the Israeli yoga instructor partially admitted to illegal possession of drugs and drug smuggling.
This prompted Naama to once again say she has never admitted to charges of drug possession and was not aware of the marijuana that was in her bag at all. “It’s very simple, I didn't buy the marijuana, I didn't receive it from anyone and I didn't put it in my bag,” said Issachar during her hearing.
Her defense team reiterated she had no intention of illegally smuggling the drugs during her journey.
The defense also claimed the translators during Naama’s initial interrogation had poor knowledge of English and couldn’t explain to her what she was being accused of, contributing to the alleged self-incrimination.
“When they made me sign the document that was written in Russian without understanding what was in it, I hand wrote [on the document] that I did not understand Russian,” she said.
Issachar’s team, therefore, asked the court to overturn the sentence as her right to have a fair trial had been violated. Naama then nodded in her cell, indicating she fully supports the defense's claims.
Issachar's mother Yaffa after the verdict vowed to release her daughter.
"No justice, this is Russia," said Yaffa. "We will get you out soon."
Israeli jailed in Russia says she was 'forced' to sign documents in RussianNaama Issachar, sentenced to 7 years over 9 grams of marijuana, denies the judge's claim that she admitted to charges of drug possession during her appeal hearing; the 26-year-old adds she has never purchased the drug and doesn't know how it appeared in her bag
Israeli woman jailed in Russia for seven years over drug offenses said during her appeal hearing on Thursday that she was "forced" to sign documents in the Russian language without knowing what they were.
The 26-year-old Naama Issachar was arrested in April while in transit in a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9.5 grams of cannabis. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling. She was sentenced by a court in Moscow last October.
The appeal hearing kicked-off with the Israeli confronting the judge by denying she has admitted to the charges against her.
Issachar, who was sitting in a glass cell inside the courtroom, said when’d been asked to sign her confession there was no interpreters and speculated the final confession might even have been fabricated.
The judge said the Israeli yoga instructor partially admitted to illegal possession of drugs and drug smuggling.
This prompted Naama to once again say she has never admitted to charges of drug possession and was not aware of the marijuana that was in her bag at all. “It’s very simple, I didn't buy the marijuana, I didn't receive it from anyone and I didn't put it in my bag,” said Issachar during her hearing.
Her defense team reiterated she had no intention of illegally smuggling the drugs during her journey.
The defense also claimed the translators during Naama’s initial interrogation had poor knowledge of English and couldn’t explain to her what she was being accused of, contributing to the alleged self-incrimination.
“When they made me sign the document that was written in Russian without understanding what was in it, I hand wrote [on the document] that I did not understand Russian,” she said.
Issachar’s team, therefore, asked the court to overturn the sentence as her right to have a fair trial had been violated. Naama then nodded in her cell, indicating she fully supports the defense's claims.
Russian court on Thursday decided to leave unchanged the punishment of an Israeli woman jailed in Russia for seven years over drug offenses.
The 26-year-old Naama Issachar was arrested in April while in transit at a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9.5 grams of cannabis. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling. She was sentenced to seven years in prison by a Moscow court last October.
The appeal hearing kicked-off with the Israeli confronting the judge by denying she has admitted to the charges against her.
Issachar, who was sitting in a glass cell inside the courtroom, said she was forced to sign documents in the Russian language without knowing what they meant. She speculated that her final confession might have been fabricated, as there were no interpreters in the room at the time she was asked to sign her confession.
The judge said the Israeli yoga instructor partially admitted to illegal possession of drugs and drug smuggling.
This prompted Naama to once again say she has never admitted to charges of drug possession and was not aware of the marijuana that was in her bag at all. “It’s very simple, I didn't buy the marijuana, I didn't receive it from anyone and I didn't put it in my bag,” said Issachar during her hearing.
Her defense team reiterated she had no intention of illegally smuggling the drugs during her journey.
The defense also claimed the translators during Naama’s initial interrogation had poor knowledge of English and couldn’t explain to her what she was being accused of, contributing to the alleged self-incrimination.
“When they made me sign the document that was written in Russian without understanding what was in it, I hand wrote [on the document] that I did not understand Russian,” she said.
Issachar’s team, therefore, asked the court to overturn the sentence as her right to have a fair trial had been violated. Naama then nodded in her cell, indicating she fully supports the defense's claims.
Issachar's mother Yaffa after the verdict vowed to release her daughter.
"No justice, this is Russia," said Yaffa. "We will get you out soon."
Israeli jailed in Russia says she was 'forced' to sign documents in RussianNaama Issachar, sentenced to 7 years over 9 grams of marijuana, denies the judge's claim that she admitted to charges of drug possession during her appeal hearing; the 26-year-old adds she has never purchased the drug and doesn't know how it appeared in her bag
Israeli woman jailed in Russia for seven years over drug offenses said during her appeal hearing on Thursday that she was "forced" to sign documents in the Russian language without knowing what they were.
The 26-year-old Naama Issachar was arrested in April while in transit in a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9.5 grams of cannabis. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling. She was sentenced by a court in Moscow last October.
The appeal hearing kicked-off with the Israeli confronting the judge by denying she has admitted to the charges against her.
Issachar, who was sitting in a glass cell inside the courtroom, said when’d been asked to sign her confession there was no interpreters and speculated the final confession might even have been fabricated.
The judge said the Israeli yoga instructor partially admitted to illegal possession of drugs and drug smuggling.
This prompted Naama to once again say she has never admitted to charges of drug possession and was not aware of the marijuana that was in her bag at all. “It’s very simple, I didn't buy the marijuana, I didn't receive it from anyone and I didn't put it in my bag,” said Issachar during her hearing.
Her defense team reiterated she had no intention of illegally smuggling the drugs during her journey.
The defense also claimed the translators during Naama’s initial interrogation had poor knowledge of English and couldn’t explain to her what she was being accused of, contributing to the alleged self-incrimination.
“When they made me sign the document that was written in Russian without understanding what was in it, I hand wrote [on the document] that I did not understand Russian,” she said.
Issachar’s team, therefore, asked the court to overturn the sentence as her right to have a fair trial had been violated. Naama then nodded in her cell, indicating she fully supports the defense's claims.
18 dec 2019
Sources close to Netanyahu lower expectations after he vows to bring home Naama Issachar who is held in Russia; officials to meet with Russian delegation on Thursday in Jerusalem
Sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the release of the young Israeli woman who is serving a prison sentence in Russia, Naama Issachar will "take time" despite his efforts to bring her back.
"In his statement yesterday, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he was committed to bringing Naama home," the source said. "It will take time. We are holding talks over this issue and the Prime Minister is committed to it and isn't letting up."
Netanyahu, speaking in a Likud activists conference in Haifa on Tuesday, promised that Issachar will return to Israel.
Meanwhile, 46 Israeli civilians who landed on an El Al flight at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport on Wednesday were detained and had their passports confiscated.
Most Israeli passengers on the flight, including children, were taken aside to a pre-prepared area, with Russian security personnel performing a slow questioning process for everyone. After eight hours, all 46 Israeli passengers had been released.
State officials believed that the Israelis' detention was intended to send a message to Jerusalem ahead of the arrival of a Russian consular delegation on Thursday to discuss the facilitation of the entry of Russian nationals into Israel.
The group of Russian envoys will consist of senior officials from Russia's foreign ministry and immigration and border guard authorities.
The Foreign Ministry said that the Israeli delegates will seek explanations from their Russian counterparts on the detention of the Israelis as well as the release of Issachar.
The Russian Embassy in Israel responded to the incident at the Moscow airport, blaming Israel for refusing thousands of Russian nationals from entering the country.
"5,771 Russian tourists were not allowed to enter Israel in 2019," an embassy official said. "Every day about 20 Russian tourists arriving in Israel on an organized trip are detained and sent back to Russia. The Russian side does not respond to relevant Israeli authorities' decisions."
Sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the release of the young Israeli woman who is serving a prison sentence in Russia, Naama Issachar will "take time" despite his efforts to bring her back.
"In his statement yesterday, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he was committed to bringing Naama home," the source said. "It will take time. We are holding talks over this issue and the Prime Minister is committed to it and isn't letting up."
Netanyahu, speaking in a Likud activists conference in Haifa on Tuesday, promised that Issachar will return to Israel.
Meanwhile, 46 Israeli civilians who landed on an El Al flight at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport on Wednesday were detained and had their passports confiscated.
Most Israeli passengers on the flight, including children, were taken aside to a pre-prepared area, with Russian security personnel performing a slow questioning process for everyone. After eight hours, all 46 Israeli passengers had been released.
State officials believed that the Israelis' detention was intended to send a message to Jerusalem ahead of the arrival of a Russian consular delegation on Thursday to discuss the facilitation of the entry of Russian nationals into Israel.
The group of Russian envoys will consist of senior officials from Russia's foreign ministry and immigration and border guard authorities.
The Foreign Ministry said that the Israeli delegates will seek explanations from their Russian counterparts on the detention of the Israelis as well as the release of Issachar.
The Russian Embassy in Israel responded to the incident at the Moscow airport, blaming Israel for refusing thousands of Russian nationals from entering the country.
"5,771 Russian tourists were not allowed to enter Israel in 2019," an embassy official said. "Every day about 20 Russian tourists arriving in Israel on an organized trip are detained and sent back to Russia. The Russian side does not respond to relevant Israeli authorities' decisions."
Suspects aged 15 and 16 were arrested following complaint that for months they had sex with their victim and threatened to distribute intimate photos of her; decision on indictments expected soon
Nine underage youths aged 15 and 16 were arrested several months ago on suspicion of threatening, blackmailing and raping a 14-year-old girl in central Israel, according to details of case that emerged Wednesday after a gag order was lifted by Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court.
All the suspects are currently under house arrest, after their remand was previously extended several times.
Sources involved in the case told Ynet's sister publication Yedioth Ahronoth that the group first made connection with the girl through one of its members.
Since then, the source said, he and his friends demanded sexual intercourse from her and threatened to hurt and publish nude photos of her if she refused.
The girl allegedly succumbed to the pressure for a long period of time, telling no one about her ordeal, until she was allegedly the victim of a gang rape by the suspects several weeks ago. The girl then decided to tell a close relative about the alleged attack, who then reported the incident to the police.
The police then set up a covert special investigations unit in order to arrest the suspects.
"This is the serious assault of a minor," said a police official. "She was hurt sexually, subject to extortion and for a long time lived in complete fear. We believe we have managed to attribute to each suspect his role in the case and in the coming days it will be presented to the prosecution."
The case was under a blanket gag order for several weeks due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The court allowed some of the details to be released Wednesday while keeping the identities of all those involved secret.
Indictments in the case are expected soon.
Nine underage youths aged 15 and 16 were arrested several months ago on suspicion of threatening, blackmailing and raping a 14-year-old girl in central Israel, according to details of case that emerged Wednesday after a gag order was lifted by Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court.
All the suspects are currently under house arrest, after their remand was previously extended several times.
Sources involved in the case told Ynet's sister publication Yedioth Ahronoth that the group first made connection with the girl through one of its members.
Since then, the source said, he and his friends demanded sexual intercourse from her and threatened to hurt and publish nude photos of her if she refused.
The girl allegedly succumbed to the pressure for a long period of time, telling no one about her ordeal, until she was allegedly the victim of a gang rape by the suspects several weeks ago. The girl then decided to tell a close relative about the alleged attack, who then reported the incident to the police.
The police then set up a covert special investigations unit in order to arrest the suspects.
"This is the serious assault of a minor," said a police official. "She was hurt sexually, subject to extortion and for a long time lived in complete fear. We believe we have managed to attribute to each suspect his role in the case and in the coming days it will be presented to the prosecution."
The case was under a blanket gag order for several weeks due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The court allowed some of the details to be released Wednesday while keeping the identities of all those involved secret.
Indictments in the case are expected soon.
5 dec 2019
PM's cousin and lawyer David Shimron
Seven people set to be indicted, pending a hearing, in what is known in Israel as Case 3000, including Netanyahu's personal attorney and cousin David Shimron, former Israel Navy commander Eliezer Marom and PM's ex-chief of staff David Sharan
State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan said Thursday he intends to indict seven men, including close associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a sweeping graft case related to a possible conflict of interest involving a $2 billion purchase of German submarines.
Nitzan’s office said in a statement the seven would be charged with various offenses, among them bribery, money laundering and fraud, pending a hearing.
Netanyahu was questioned, but not named as a suspect, in the submarine probe, known as Case 3000. But it roped in some of his closest aides and sparked questions about his earnings on a related German submarine sale to Egypt.
Among those facing charges are Netanyahu’s personal attorney, David Shimron, who is also his cousin. Shimron represented Thyssenkrupp, the German ship maker involved, and was suspected of using his influence over the prime minister in return for a hefty cut of the deal.
Thyssenkrupp has said an internal probe found no evidence of corruption in its handling of the 2016 contract for the sale of the submarines to Israel, and prosecutors have taken no action against the conglomerate.
Also set to be indicted is David Sharan, who once served as Netanyahu’s chief of staff. Former commander of the Israel Navy Admiral Eliezer Marom is also facing charges.
The Justice Ministry said prosecutors accepted recommendations made by police last year to indict Shimron, Sharan, Marom and businessman Miki Ganor, who was Thyssenkrupp's local agent.
Pending the pre-trial hearings, Shimron will be charged with money laundering; Sharan, Marom and Ganor will face that charge as well as bribery, the Justice Ministry said.
All the suspects have denied any wrongdoing.
The submarine deal has been under public scrutiny since it emerged that Shimron also represented Ganor, raising concerns of a conflict of interest.
After seeming to escape the submarine scandal, it was revealed that Netanyahu reportedly earned $4 million on a related German submarine sale to Egypt by owning shares in one of the German manufacturer’s suppliers. He has denied wrongdoing.
Netanyahu was recently charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases in which he is accused of trading regulatory or legislative favors in exchange for lavish gifts and favorable news coverage.
The prime minister has professed innocence in all three, saying the charges are trumped up by a biased justice system egged on by a liberal media.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, is fighting for his political life following two inconclusive elections and the likelihood of an unprecedented third in one year.
With the charges against him issued amid the political impasse, Netanyahu has driven up his rhetoric against his perceived enemies, berating law enforcement institutions and calling for “the investigators to be investigated.”
Seven people set to be indicted, pending a hearing, in what is known in Israel as Case 3000, including Netanyahu's personal attorney and cousin David Shimron, former Israel Navy commander Eliezer Marom and PM's ex-chief of staff David Sharan
State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan said Thursday he intends to indict seven men, including close associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a sweeping graft case related to a possible conflict of interest involving a $2 billion purchase of German submarines.
Nitzan’s office said in a statement the seven would be charged with various offenses, among them bribery, money laundering and fraud, pending a hearing.
Netanyahu was questioned, but not named as a suspect, in the submarine probe, known as Case 3000. But it roped in some of his closest aides and sparked questions about his earnings on a related German submarine sale to Egypt.
Among those facing charges are Netanyahu’s personal attorney, David Shimron, who is also his cousin. Shimron represented Thyssenkrupp, the German ship maker involved, and was suspected of using his influence over the prime minister in return for a hefty cut of the deal.
Thyssenkrupp has said an internal probe found no evidence of corruption in its handling of the 2016 contract for the sale of the submarines to Israel, and prosecutors have taken no action against the conglomerate.
Also set to be indicted is David Sharan, who once served as Netanyahu’s chief of staff. Former commander of the Israel Navy Admiral Eliezer Marom is also facing charges.
The Justice Ministry said prosecutors accepted recommendations made by police last year to indict Shimron, Sharan, Marom and businessman Miki Ganor, who was Thyssenkrupp's local agent.
Pending the pre-trial hearings, Shimron will be charged with money laundering; Sharan, Marom and Ganor will face that charge as well as bribery, the Justice Ministry said.
All the suspects have denied any wrongdoing.
The submarine deal has been under public scrutiny since it emerged that Shimron also represented Ganor, raising concerns of a conflict of interest.
After seeming to escape the submarine scandal, it was revealed that Netanyahu reportedly earned $4 million on a related German submarine sale to Egypt by owning shares in one of the German manufacturer’s suppliers. He has denied wrongdoing.
Netanyahu was recently charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases in which he is accused of trading regulatory or legislative favors in exchange for lavish gifts and favorable news coverage.
The prime minister has professed innocence in all three, saying the charges are trumped up by a biased justice system egged on by a liberal media.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, is fighting for his political life following two inconclusive elections and the likelihood of an unprecedented third in one year.
With the charges against him issued amid the political impasse, Netanyahu has driven up his rhetoric against his perceived enemies, berating law enforcement institutions and calling for “the investigators to be investigated.”
