With new graft crackdown, cops close in on Liberman’s cronies

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman wasn’t among the dozen officials of the Netivei Israel roads company who police busted in on Monday, seizing their home and office computers and accusing them of a massive fraud scheme reaching into the halls of government power.

But a few of his friends were.

He also wasn’t touched by the massive Yisrael Beytenu graft affair earlier this year, which saw allegations of bribery, fraud, and money laundering, and the arrests of over a dozen public officials, past and present, and seizure of their computers.

But a few of his friends were.

In many ways, Monday’s high-profile corruption case is strongly reminiscent of the Yisrael Beytenu graft case, including the driving force behind it — the Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit, which carried out an investigation for months prior to the arrests.

And like the previous scandal, in the state road company affair, some of the prime suspects are associates of Liberman, though the tangled web of cronyism doesn’t touch the former foreign minister.

The police, who arrested some 20 past and current leaders of the roads company, accused them of accepting bribes from suppliers in exchange for contracts, among a long list of other crimes.

Police said they nabbed “officials of the Netivei Israel company, including past and current officials, who were connected to suppliers and advanced their businesses in the company’s projects in exchange for bribes and other benefits, while committing bribery, fraud, money laundering and other offenses estimated at tens of millions of shekels.”

Among the suspects, at least half a dozen are linked to Liberman (who is not suspected of any wrongdoing) or are connected to the separate corruption scandal by members of his party. A closer look at the suspects reveals a tangled web of cronyism, some of which has in the past been criticized by the state comptroller.

Alex Viznitzer, a former director-general of Netivei Yisrael, was appointed to the position in 2003 by then-transportation minister Liberman. Viznitzer, a long-time confidant of Liberman, stands accused of bribery, fraud, and money laundering. His remand was extended Tuesday by 10 days. Police have also recommended Vitznitzer be prosecuted for his role in the Yisrael Beytenu affair.

While in office, Vitznitzer appointed Sima Levy-Shalom, the sister of MKs Jacky Levy (Likud) and Orly Levy-Abekasis (Yisrael Beytenu), as the acting legal adviser for the company, although she had no prior experience, according to a report in The Marker. While issued as a temporary position, the role was never permanently filled with another candidate. Levy-Shalom’s husband, Sharon Shalom, is Liberman’s “right-hand man,” according to the report. Levy-Shalom was arrested Monday and released to house arrest on Tuesday. The charges against her were not immediately made clear.

Also in custody is disgraced ex-MK Michael Gorolovsky (Likud) who was charged in 2005 with fraud and breach of trust for double voting in the Knesset. Before entering the Knesset on the Likud party list, Gorolevsky worked as an aide to Liberman. After quitting politics, Gorolevsky opened his own business and became a supplier for Netivei Israel. His remand was extended for 10 days on Tuesday, and he is suspected of extortion and fraud.

Liberman’s neighbor, Boris Abramov and his sister, Sophia, were also among the 20 detainees. Abramov, a Yisrael Beytenu political activist, was given a job in the roads authority in the early 2000s under Vitznitzer.

According to Hebrew media reports, the state comptroller wrote several years ago that Abramov’s hiring was deeply problematic and done out of political considerations. His remand was extended by seven days, while Sophia Abramov’s arrest was extended until Wednesday.

Also implicated in the affair is former CEO Yeshayahu Bers, who is accused of fraud, theft, and conspiracy to commit a crime and was remanded for another seven days. Bers has been questioned by police in the Yisrael Beytenu affair, and was indicted for corruption in the equally high-profile Ronel Fisher corruption case.

As his associates — however tenuous or close the connections may be — get rounded up in court, Liberman has emerged unscathed from these various police investigations. He has not, since Monday’s announcement, commented publicly on the allegations.