Ex-defense minister Ben-Eliezer to be indicted for graft

Former defense minister and longtime Knesset member Binyamin Ben-Eliezer will be indicted on a slew of graft charges after failing to prove his innocence at a pre-indictment hearing, the state’s prosecution announced on Tuesday.

Ben-Eliezer, who left the Knesset last year after a 30 year political career with the Labor Party, will be charged with bribery, money laundering, fraud, breach of trust, and tax evasion. He is also suspected of filing falsified reports on his properties and using his influence as an Knesset member and as a minister to promote the businesses of his close associates.

In June, the Tel Aviv District Prosecutor said that Ben-Eliezer would not be indicted until he was able to present his defense to state prosecutors at a pre-indictment hearing.

However, the veteran lawmaker failed to convince prosecutors to drop the charges against him during the recent hearing, and state attorneys are expected to file the formal indictment against Ben-Eliezer in the coming days, Channel 2 reported Tuesday.

The criminal proceedings against Ben-Eliezer began when Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein in January accepted the police’s recommendation to indict the 79-year-old former politician and 10 of his associates.

Police said its six-month investigation in 2014 uncovered evidence Ben-Eliezer accepted funds from businessmen for unspecified financial favors in 2006, when he served as national infrastructure minister. He is also accused of laundering money using the bank accounts of several relatives.

Police also investigated a separate $350,000 payment from a relative, and alleged improprieties relating to other large sums of money.

Hebrew media reports named businessmen Abraham Nanikashvili and Jacky Ben-Zaken, and Ben-Eliezer’s former bureau chief Ayelet Azoulay, as three of the 10 suspects.

Ben-Eliezer’s attorneys in recent months had attempted to reach a settlement in the case without going to trial, citing the former minister’s poor health, but Weinstein reportedly rejected the request.

In December 2014, the politician announced he would leave politics to focus on his health and clearing his name.

The probe caused the veteran MK to drop his bid for Israel’s presidency in June of last year, three days before the election.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.