Police recommend indicting UTJ leader Litzman for bribery
Political allies defend deputy minister as prime minister remains silent
Police recommended indicting Deputy Health Minister and United Torah Judaism leader Ya’acov Litzman to Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit for fraud, witness tampering and breach of public trust on Tuesday for allegedly interfering in the extradition of alleged pedophile Malka Leifer.
In a second case, the police recommended indicting Litzman for bribery, while police closed a third case against Litzman due to a combination of insufficient evidence and charges that expired due to the statute of limitations.
At this stage, the state prosecution will evaluate the police recommendations, which they are not bound to accept. Next, Mandelblit will make a final decision about whether to accept the prosecution’s recommendations, a process
likely to draw out for months.
The police said they found sufficient evidence to charge Litzman for trying to influence the opinion of psychiatrists appointed by the Health Ministry to aid Leifer to therefore prevent her extradition to Australia. She is wanted in Australia for dozens of cases of sexual abuse that she is accused of committing while serving as a head of a Melbourne school.
In a statement, the police said that Litzman attempted to pressure the Jerusalem district psychiatrist into falsely stating that Leifer was mentally unfit to be extradited to Australia to stand trial.
This psychiatrist had originally filed an opinion stating that Leifer was competent to stand trial, and then allegedly switched his opinion after pressure from Litzman. If true, Litzman’s meeting with the key witness in the extradition case would constitute witness tampering.
He also is accused of threatening other medical professionals at the ministry if they did not write reports in a way that was favorable for Leifer.
Leifer fled to Israel in 2008 amid allegations that she had sexually abused students at the Adass Yisroel school in Melbourne. She is wanted on 74 charges of child sexual abuse.
Leifer was arrested in Israel in 2014, but was released after being deemed mentally unfit for the legal proceedings. She was rearrested last year after an undercover investigation found that she lived a normal life and was mentally fit to face extradition.
A second case investigated by police was about Litzman’s alleged involvement in trying to influence officials in the ministry to work on behalf of a food establishment whose owner is close to him. Litzman allegedly frequented the establishment during the disputed time period, and allegedly tried to prevent the company’s closure after it had been found to pose a health hazard to the public when several people became sick by consuming its products.
After Health Ministry inspectors initially closed the establishment, Litzman ordered a new on-site tour. As part of the tour, he told the officials that it should be reopened and that he personally had been eating the food and was fine. Allegedly, Litzman even asked about the officials’ salaries to probe whether they could be bribed. Though the officials did not accept the offer, Litzman could still be indicted for attempted bribery.
The third case, which is being closed, included potential charges that Litzman tried to influence officials in the health and other ministries to help various prisoners, especially those with sex-crime convictions, to get early releases.
While many convicts get early releases, ministers are prohibited from involvement in the process, which is based on a series of recommendations from different ministries.
Multiple officials within Litzman’s staff who were also suspects in the cases will reportedly be cleared.
After the police recommendation, a statement was released on Tuesday by Litzman’s office saying that, “[Deputy] Minister Litzman has worked throughout his years for the benefit of
Israeli citizens, with complete transparency and by law. The office of Litzman has a clear, open-door policy to assist the public. This is without discrimination against anyone, and without clarifying the status of those who call for assistance, except under the law and [with] integrity.”
The statement continued: “The police statement also clearly shows that the police also believe that no offense was committed in most of the suspicions about which Deputy [Health] Minister Litzman was interrogated. Regarding the other allegations, we are unquestionably confident that, upon close examination, it will be revealed that no crime was committed by the deputy minister.”
Activist groups combating sexual abuse in the Jewish community in Israel and abroad immediately called for Litzman to resign.
“It is deeply disappointing and angering that someone of the stature of Deputy [Health] Minister Ya’acov Litzman allegedly used the power of his position to help scores of child rapists, and we hope the police recommendation is a step toward him facing justice,” said Meyer Seewald, founder and director of Jewish Community Watch (JCW).
It was a private investigation by JCW in 2017 demonstrating that Leifer was ostensibly functioning normally in her daily life that led to a renewed police investigation and her eventual arrest in February 2018.
“Our private investigation in 2017 only clarified what was obvious to so many: that Malka Leifer was feigning mental illness to avoid extradition,” said Seewald, adding that it was “apparent that Leifer was being protected by very influential people” and that the police charges demonstrate that it was Litzman who was assisting her.
The Kol V’Oz organization also called for Litzman to resign in light of the police’s recommendation to indict him, saying that the “prolonged, sordid case” involving Leifer had damaged Israel’s global reputation.
“It seems the truth is slowly coming to light: an alleged interference at the highest level [by] Israel’s ultra-Orthodox deputy health minister,” said Manny Waks, director of the group.
Responding to the charges, several prominent haredi (ultra-Orthodox) and religious-Zionist politicians gave their backing to Litzman.
Senior UTJ MK Moshe Gafni said that he had “no doubt that the allegations are false” and that it would become clear that the deputy minister did nothing for himself, but rather for the good of those who turn to him for assistance.
Shas also issued a statement saying that the party “supports Deputy [Health] Minister Rabbi Litzman,” and described him as a “faithful public servant who has worked faithfully for the public for decades.” The party also said that Litzman will “be proved innocent and justice will come to light speedily.”
Senior United Right MK Bezalel Smotrich came to Litzman’s defense as well, saying that although he was not familiar with the investigative material, “I am familiar with his dedication and that of his office,” saying Litzman helps anyone who turns to him for help.
“The police announcement appears to be another attempt to revoke the active authorities
of elected officials and turn them into functionaries and to delegitimize the intervention of elected officials,” he said. •