Suspicious Liaisons

The prime minister seems safe, but a number of
Cabinet ministers might face corruption charges.

LARRY DERFNER ISRAEL CORRESPONDENT

T

presented by

Aish HaTorah

el Aviv — Israel's largest party, allegedly threatened to
and potentially most darn- have Shas' government ministers
aging political scandal in block cabinet approval of the He-
years, the "Bar-On for He- bron redeployment unless Prime
bron" affair, has shown no signs Minister Netanyahu agreed to
of slowing.
appoint Mr. Bar-On.
Roni B ar-On
Now, police are inves-
Mr. Netanyahu's chief
tigating most of the prin- hides hi s face aide, Avigdor Lieberman,
from a
cipals in the corruption photogra pher at a close political associate
allegations, and a num-
of Messrs. Appel and
a Jerus alem
ber of others who might outdoor cafe.
Deri, allegedly made sure
shed light on the matter.
that Mr. Bar-On got
Yet, they are being tight-lipped the appointment. Ms. Hasson
about their findings. Thus, no also reported that Mr. Ne-
"smoking guns" have been dis- tanyahu and Justice Minister
covered — either to confirm or Tsachi Hanegbi, originally
trash the story.
thought the driving force behind
But enough information is the choice of Mr. Bar-On, did not
leaking out to give a clear enough know about the supposed con-
impression that something was spiracy.
seriously amiss in the short-lived
Ms. Hasson did not name the
nomination of Jerusalem lawyer sources of her story and pre-
and Likud activist Roni Bar-On sented no evidence, insisting that
as Israeli attorney general.
she'd promised sources anonymi-
Eitan Haberman, the Likud's ty. All the figures named angri-
legal adviser, told associates: "No ly called the story malicious
matter how you look at this sto- fiction. Mr. Bar-On filed a police
ry, no matter how you lay it out, complaint for libel against Has-
a stench arises from it."
son and her superiors at ITV; Mr.
Mr. Haberman, a candidate Appel filed a 5 million shekel
for attorney general along with (about $1.5 million) libel suit
Mr. Bar-On, was questioned by against them.
police. Rumors were that Mr.
Aside from Mr. Haberman's
Haberman had been Israel Tele- remarks, there have been other
vision's chief source on the story, signs that something, if not ille-
but he --like
gal, unkosher took place.
all the other suspected sources
The National Religious
- denied this.
Party's Shaul Yahalom, chair-
To recap: Israel Television man of the Knesset Law and
(ITV) crime reporter Ayala Has- Constitution Committee, said
son reported that Mr. Bar-On his party's two ministers ab-
was put forward for attorney gen- stained in the cabinet vote for
eral after he promised Knesset Mr. Bar-On because they knew
Member Arye Deri, on trial him- it had been a deal with Mr. Deri.
self for a slew of corruption However, those two ministers
charges, to arrange a plea bar- insisted that this wasn't so. Mr.
gain. That deal would allow Mr. Yahalom later deferred to their
Deri to continue in politics. The version.
whole thing, Ms. Hasson alleged,
Labor Knesset Member Ophir
was instigated by Likud political Pines told police that two people
operator David Appel, himself on in the legal profession told him
trial for defrauding the govern- about the alleged conspiracy be-
ment out of hundreds of thou- fore ITV reported it. He did not
sands of dollars.
tell police who the two legal
Mr. Deri, the strongman of sources were, but said he would
Shas (Sephardi ultra-Orthodox) if asked. ❑

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