From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 28, 2019
Law enforcement officials defend decision to search Netanyahu aides’ phones
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleThe Justice Ministry and Israel Police reject claims of impropriety in their handling of a suspected case of witness harassment on the part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides.
In a statement, the two bodies defend their decision to search the cellphones of the two aides — Likud spokesman Jonatan Urich and the party’s campaign manager, Ofer Golan — which right-wing figures decried earlier today.
“This measure is required due to patent needs of the investigation,” the statement says, while asserting that there would only be a “limited search” of the phones to find information that relates directly to the witness intimidation case.
“Due to the sensitivity, in this case the search will only be carried out in a careful fashion that will be determined and approved by the court,” the statement adds. “The state will request that, if possible, a judge — not the investigating officials — will be the one to locate the relevant materials.”
The statement also stresses the severity of the suspicions against Urich and Golan, who are accused of ordering a van sent to Shlomo Filber’s home with loudspeakers blasting allegations he lied about the case.
Filber is a key witness in Case 4000, in which Netanyahu is alleged to have advanced regulations benefiting Bezeq controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch in exchange for positive coverage from the telecom company’s Walla news site.
The Times of Israel Community.