State moves ahead on file that led to Case 4000
The state prosecution moved forward on Sunday night with the Bezeq file, which eventually led to Case 4000 against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Tel Aviv Economic Crimes Division said that, subject to a pre-indictment hearing, it intended to indict former Bezeq owner Shaul Elovitch, his son, Or, and a range of other top Bezeq and YES company officials for a range of fraud, insider trading, illegal reporting and obstruction of justice issues.
Originally, the Bezeq file was a story about an illegal merger between Bezeq and YES, and that Shaul Elovitch had powerful interests in both and that he used illegal messengers to infiltrate the merger talks, from which he was supposed to be kept away to avoid a conflict of interest.
The prosecution’s statement of suspicions, which will likely lead to indictments after pre-indictment hearings, said that Or Elovitch, Amikam Shorer, YES CEO Ron Ayalon, and especially Linor Yochelman, all assisted in the scheme.
Yochelman was tasked with ensuring that Elovitch did not receive information relating to the merger talks and to make sure he could not influence them, due to his ownership interests in both companies.
Instead, Yochelman allegedly leaked just about everything that Elovitch needed to manipulate the outcome of the negotiations to his benefit.
Elovitch eventually benefited to the tune of around NIS 968 million.
Former Bezeq CEO Stella Handler and former legal adviser Eli Kamir were also notified that they would likely be indicted. Handler and Kamir were also accused specifically of perpetrating fraud in their dealings with former communications ministry director-general and now state’s witness against Netanyahu, Shlomo Filber.
Filber allegedly illegally leaked internal ministry communications to the Bezeq officials so that they could illegally influence ministry policy to their benefit and to the benefit of Elovitch.
The Bezeq officials even sent ministry documents back to Filber with notes and instructions about changes he needed to make to please Elovitch.
Filber has told police that he acted illegally to help Elovitch under instructions by Netanyahu as part of a scheme in which they would make money for Elovitch at Bezeq, in exchange for Elovitch ensuring that his media outlet, Walla, would report on the prime minister in a positive manner.
Eurocom officials, also connected with Elovitch, have also been notified that they will likely be indicted.
Elovitch has already had his pre-indictment hearing in Case 4000 connected to Netanyahu, but now he will get a separate pre-indictment hearing regarding the original case.
Netanyahu’s pre-indictment hearing is set for the beginning of October. The state is expected to indictment him for bribery in Case 4000.