Former minister Ben-Eliezer to face graft charges, prosecutor says

Former defense minister and longtime Knesset member Binyamin Ben-Eliezer will stand trial on a slew of graft charges pending a hearing, the state’s prosecution told Ben-Eliezer’s legal team Wednesday.

Ben-Eliezer, who left the Knesset last year after a 30 year political career with the Labor Party, is suspected of 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.

The Tel Aviv District Prosecutor said he would be indicted on the charges after a hearing for him to respond to the accusations. It was not immediately clear when the hearing would take place.

Ben-Eliezer told Channel 2 news he could not discuss the case.

“I am not going to talk about this at the moment, although I have a lot to say. I hope that I will manage to prove my complete innocence,” he said.

His lawyers, Navot Tel-Tzur and Tal Shapira, said in response to the decision that the ex-politician denied the accusations.

“Mr. Ben-Eliezer has made himself available to investigators, totally denies the allegations and has given detailed explanation regarding each one of them. He is determined to fight for his good name,” they said in a statement.

Last week Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein adopted police recommendations to press charges against the 79-year-old former politician.

Channel 2 reported at the time that Ben-Eliezer’s attorneys 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.

Police in January recommended that Ben-Eliezer and 10 others stand trial for a series of financial improprieties, with investigators saying they had gathered a strong body of evidence against the veteran parliamentarian and the others.

In 2014 police conducted a six-month investigation into allegations that 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.

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.

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.