AG orders probe into Gantz's failed firm, though he himself is not a suspect

State comptroller previously ruled there was no evidence of wrongdoing in Fifth Dimension’s affairs; Likud in response accuses Blue and White chief of stealing millions

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has ordered a new probe into potential criminal aspects of the ties between police and the hi-tech firm Fifth Dimension, which was owned by now-Blue and White party chief Benny Gantz, and shut down last year, Channel 13 reported on Monday.

While Gantz himself is not under suspicion of wrongdoing, the report said, the Attorney General’s Office has requested information from the state comptroller regarding NIS 4 million ($1,134,120) granted to the firm for a pilot project with police, after company executives allegedly provided police with misleading information, as well as a NIS 50 million ($14 million) contract supposedly granted without the issuing of a tender, in violation of acquisition regulations.

The company later went bankrupt because the US government sanctioned its largest investor, a Russian oligarch.

Mandelblit reportedly gave the order despite the state comptroller having found no evidence that criminal offenses were committed when he looked into the matter six months ago.

In response to the news, Gantz’s political rivals in Likud issued a statement alleging he “stole NIS 4 million from public funds” and was engaged in “a corrupt NIS 50 million contract.”