Former port union boss to face corruption charges

The state prosecution on Wednesday notified the former chairman of the Ashdod Port workers’ union that he is to be indicted for bribery, fraud, breach of trust, extortion, conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering.

Hassan dismissed the allegations against him as baseless.

In October last year police said that there was enough evidence to indict Hassan on corruption charges.

The investigation of the Ashdod Port corruption allegations confirmed that Hassan had used his influence to secure port contracts for private companies owned by his associates in exchange for bribes or financial kickbacks, police said at the time.

Following a year-long undercover investigation, Israel’s anti-corruption police raided the Ashdod Port in May 2014 and arrested 15 port employees for suspected membership in a corruption ring.

As the investigation into the suspected crimes expanded it netted a growing list of public and police officials, including Ronel Fisher, a high-profile attorney who is at the center of a web of intrigue that has also enmeshed multiple suspects.

On Wednesday, the Fisher affair scored its first conviction, when a former senior police officer signed a plea bargain in exchange for cooperation with investigators and the hope for a commuted sentence.

“This is complete nonsense. Other than being a nice story, there is not a shred of evidence,” Hassan told Army Radio Thursday morning, claiming that the allegations against him were part of a plot to deflect attention away from the Fisher affair.

“It’s media spin aimed at diverting the heat from them to me,” he said.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.