From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 19, 2020
AG: No criminal probe into Gamliel over allegations she lied to contact tracers
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announces he will not pursue a criminal probe into Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel following reports she lied to epidemiological investigators about breaking lockdown after she contracted the coronavirus.
“There is no basis for an allegation of untrue reporting,” Mandelblit says in a statement. “The findings show that she fully cooperated and provided true facts.”
Breaking the coronavirus restrictions on travel from home can be punished with a fine. However, misleading contact tracing investigators or knowingly spreading the virus can carry separate heavy penalties.
The announcement came after reports Gamliel’s epidemiological investigation indicated that she lied to Health Ministry officials investigating how she was infected with the coronavirus. A slew of reports in Hebrew-language media alleged the minister deliberately misled investigators, telling them she spent the Yom Kippur holiday praying at a Tel Aviv synagogue when she actually broke lockdown regulations and drove to the northern city of Tiberias.
The Times of Israel Community.