Deri questioned again in graft probe
Interior Minister Arye Deri was questioned on Monday for six-and-a-half hours at the Lahav 433 National Fraud Unit headquarters in Lod.
Deri is suspected of tax offenses, money laundering and breach of trust. It was the minister’s fifth round of questioning in the affair.
After the questioning session ended, Deri posted on Twitter: “I just finished my questioning. Also this time I answered all of the questions in details. With the help of God, everything is okay and will be okay. May the people of Israel have a great day.”
The investigation is being conducted by the Israel Police, the Israel Tax Authority and the Israel Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Prohibition Authority.
Deri was questioned about three issues. The first concerns suspicion of tax offenses, fraud and money laundering in a real estate deal in which Deri allocated a property in the Givat Shaul neighborhood of Jerusalem to his brother Shlomo.
The second pertains to allegations that the construction of a vacation home owned by the Deri family in the Upper Galilee valley of Kfar Hoshen, also known as Safsufa, was financed by money that was not reported to the tax authorities.
The third matter concerns the NGO Mifalot Simha, run by Deri’s wife, Yafa. It is suspected that some of the organization’s money was not raised or used in accordance with tax regulations.