Liberman indictment postponed

The Justice Ministry announced Tuesday it would postpone filing an indictment against former foreign minister Avigdor Liberman.

The indictment for fraud and breach of trust charges, to have been served on Tuesday, will be served within a few days, the office said in a statement. No reason was given for the delay.

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein announced last week that he would indict the Yisrael Beytenu head on criminal charges for having received classified prosecution documents, related to his investigation on fraud and money laundering charges, from the former ambassador to Belarus, Ze’ev Ben Aryeh. Liberman then allegedly sought to reward Ben Aryeh for helping him by having Ben Aryeh appointed to a second ambassadorship — an appointment that did not ultimately occur.

Liberman resigned as foreign minister in response to the charges, taking leave of his post Tuesday morning, although he remains a Knesset member and leader of Yisrael Beytenu. He has said repeatedly that he hopes to clear up the issue before the January 22 general election.

A far more substantial case against Liberman, over alleged money laundering by shell companies throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s, was closed due to lack of evidence.