Corruption
http://www.freeimages.com/photo/1096838
PUBLISHED December 24th 2014
01:52pm
01:52pm
Israel:
Lieberman's party hit by graft crackdown
Some 30 arrested in what Yisrael Beitenu party blasts
as politically motivated move ahead of election
Some
30 serving and former officials from Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beitenu party
were arrested early Wednesday on suspicion of corruption in a corruption raid
carried out by Israeli police.
Lieberman,
the outgoing foreign minister, dismissed the graft scandal as "hot air,
instigated prior to the general election in order to compromise the
party."
Most
of the case's details are still under a gag order, but it is understood it
involves the illegal transfer of funds to an NGO.
One
of the most senior officials embroiled in the case is Deputy Interior Minister
Fania Kirshenbaum, the chair of the Knesset's Caucus for Financial Education in
Israel.
She
was quoted by the Ynetnews website as saying she didn't know why she was being
questioned. "I have no idea what for. I regret that things were published
in this way."
Another
big-name detainee is the former Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov, who has a
litany of scandals to his name. He was accused by his former bodyguards of
drinking to excess and patronizing adult entertainment venues.
He
has subsequently resigned from his post as minister and served as a
parliamentarian.
Police
rejected the charges that the timing of the raid – some three months before the
March 17 general election – indicates the move was politically motivated.
Police
Commissioner Yohanan Danino was quoted by Ynetnews as saying that "Israeli
police has shown over the year that it has done and will continue to do
everything it can to fight public corruption in any way and means at its
disposal."
No comments:
Post a Comment