Minister: If there’s dirt on me in secret police file, release it

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) on Wednesday requested that police make public any information on him included in a secret police document that reportedly details evidence regarding alleged offenses committed by dozens of Knesset members.

In a letter sent to Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Ariel demanded police launch investigations into any criminal offenses listed in the dossier, rather than keeping it under wraps to be used at a later date.

“The basis of the democratic justice system that presumes innocence until proven guilty is being damaged, and I therefore request that any information on public officials that is not being used in an investigation be revealed immediately,” he wrote to Erdan in the letter obtained by Channel 2.

“I hereby nominate myself to be the first, and request that any information police have on me be disclosed immediately, and that includes a police investigation if deemed relevant.”

Ariel in his letter also called the existence of the document a “grave matter,” and urged police officials “not to leave the information locked in a safe for use at a later date.”

“I’d rather not have to think that law enforcement officials are withholding information regarding elected officials that can be used at a later date to obstruct political moves or prevent the appointment of public officials,” he said.

On Monday, Channel 10 reported that police had a secret dossier that included information on alleged corruption and other crimes which could form the basis of criminal investigations against Israeli lawmakers.

Though the Monday TV report did not detail which lawmakers were suspected of crimes, Channel 2 on Tuesday reported that Erdan was among the officials named in the leaked document.

According to the report, the information on Erdan’s alleged offenses dates back to the previous government, during his tenure as communications and environmental affairs minister. The report did not detail what police suspicions were in the file.

Erdan was never formally investigated, the report noted. Like the information collected on dozens of MKs, the secret file remained in a drawer for years and was never given to the prosecutor’s office.

On Wednesday, Erdan denied any prior knowledge of the police document.

“I would like to emphasize that I was personally never made aware of the existence of such a document. I am not familiar with it, and do not know what it contains,” he said in the Knesset.

Erdan made his remarks during a debate initiated by Meretz MK Michal Rozin centered on her proposal to launch a parliamentary committee to investigate the police’s handling of the allegations detailed in the document.

“Israeli police are not in the habit of collecting information on ministers or Knesset members,” Erdan added.