Foreign minister: There is no basis for the police decision

[Chris]

Foreign minister: There is no basis for the police decision
By YAAKOV LAPPIN AND GIL HOFFMAN

Israel Police recommended that the state indict Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, announcing on Sunday that evidence exists to back up suspicions that he had received bribes, fraudulently received goods, violated his public office, sabotaged a legal proceeding, harassed a witness, and laundered millions of shekels using a host of shell companies and bank accounts. The recommendation, which carries a surprisingly large number of charges, came after a special unit of the National Fraud Unit and the Lahav 433 Unit completed a three-year investigation into the foreign minister, headed by National Fraud Unit head Lt.-Cmdr. Shlomi Ayalon.

A police source told the Jerusalem Post that Lieberman made contact with witnesses in the investigation despite being asked by police not to do so, resulting in the recommendations that he be indicted for witness harassment and sabotaging the police investigation. "There is no basis for the police recommendation," Lieberman said in a statement in response to the news. "For 13 years police have been conducting a witch hunt against me. The more my strength and Israel Beiteinu's strength have risen, so has the attempt to eliminate me from public life," he said.

more...........Police recommend indicting Avigdor Lieberman | Israel | Jerusalem Post

[Chris]

Police: Indict Lieberman on multiple graft charges
By Barak Ravid and By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondents, and The Associated Press

Police on Sunday recommended that the state prosecution to indict Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on charges of bribery, fraud, money laundering, witness harassment and obstruction of justice. Attorney General Menachem Mazuz must approve the recommendation before Lieberman is formally charged. It could be weeks or months before a decision is made.

The combined maximum sentence for those crimes would be 31 years in prison, a police officer said. A police statement said the investigation began in 2006 and covered events going back to 2000. Lieberman released a statement in response to the police announcement, saying there were no grounds for the indictment and that he was the victim of persecution. "For 13 years the police have conducted a campaign of persecution against me," the foreign minister said. "As much as my political strength and the strength of Yisrael Beiteinu rise, the campaign of persecution also intensifies."

more............Police: Indict Lieberman on multiple graft charges - Haaretz - Israel News

[Chris]

"For 13 years police have been conducting a witch hunt against me. The more my strength and Israel Beiteinu's strength have risen, so has the attempt to eliminate me from public life," he said.

That is basically the summary of the situation in a nutshell. Lieberman goes against the plans of the PTB and they don't want him on the political scene.