Likud minister to provide testimony in naval corruption case

Energy and Infrastructure Minister Yuval Steinitz (Likud) will be summoned by police to provide testimony in the corruption investigation into a multi-million-dollar purchase of naval vessels from Germany, after two of his associates were arrested and named as suspects in the case.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who authorized Steinitz’s summoning, did not however give police permission to question Steinitz under caution, Channel 10 reported Monday.

Unnamed officials at the Justice Ministry told the television channel that Steinitz is not a suspect in the case.

Steinitz reportedly told his associates he was blindsided by the developments in the submarines probe, saying “No one in the security establishment warned the cabinet there was a problem with the deal,” according to a report Monday evening by Channel 2.

The minister said he was “surprised and pained” by the summoning, but would cooperate fully. His involvement came as a surprise, the report said, quoting Steinitz as saying: “I am known as one of the most honest people, no one is more careful than I am” about financial matters.

Earlier Monday, police named a senior aide to Steinitz as a suspect in the corruption investigation.

Rami Taib, a veteran Israeli political operative who currently serves as Steinitz’s political adviser, was arrested on suspicion of bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit a crime. His identity, initially withheld by a gag order, was cleared for publication by the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court during his remand hearing on Monday afternoon at which he was ordered kept in police custody for a further three days.

Taib is a close associate of David Sharan, a former chief of staff for both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Steinitz, who was arrested, along with five others including Taib, on Monday as part of the investigation, which police have dubbed Case 3000. Sharan is suspected of taking bribes, fraud, breach of trust and conspiring to commit a crime.

Taib’s lawyer said his client has no connection to the affair and was “arrested at random after he went to visit his friend Sharan at the police station.” Taib was arrested, but not charged, two years ago as part of Case 242, one of the most far-reaching public corruption cases in Israel’s history, primarily involving Yisrael Beytenu party officials.

A former minister was also arrested Monday as part of the investigation. His name remains under gag order. In addition to Sharan, several senior reserve IDF officers and strategic adviser Nati Mor, who has worked with several senior government officials, were also arrested on Sunday.

On Sunday evening it was reported that former deputy head of the National Security Council Atalia Rosenbaum, who served as the number two on the NSC from 2009 to 2010, was questioned 10 days ago as part of the probe on suspicion of mediation for bribery. After her interrogation she was released under restricted terms.

Rosenbaum is suspected of leaking information from NSC meetings to Miki Ganor, the local representative of German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp. After being identified as a key suspect in the case, Ganor turned state’s witness in July.

Also among the suspects detained on Sunday was a former commander of the elite naval commando unit Shayetet 13, whose detention was extended by four days. Although the court rejected a request by his legal representative that he not be identified in the media, it agreed to maintain a blackout on his name for 24 hours while an appeal is filed.

Investigators suspect that Ganor, along with former National Security Council deputy head Avriel Bar-Yosef, paid bribes in connection with the decision to buy three submarines from ThyssenKrupp, despite opposition from the Defense Ministry.

They also reportedly influenced decisions to buy naval corvettes to protect Israel’s offshore gas fields and awarded ThyssenKrupp a contract to service other naval vessels.

While Netanyahu is not suspected in the case, his personal lawyer, David Shimron, has been questioned several times by Lahav 433, the police anti-corruption unit.

Ganor has reportedly claimed that Shimron (who was also his attorney) was to receive 20 percent of his own commission of $45 million. Shimron was hired by Ganor to negotiate the ship and submarine purchases.

In a statement given to his attorneys, Shimron reportedly denied he was to receive a cut from the deal beyond his legal fees.

When he turned state’s witness, Ganor was suspected of fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit a crime. He has reportedly been transferred to a police safe house.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.