Sohlberg: Electoral fraud claims might never yield evidence of wrongdoing

In an update on the investigation into possible foreign interference in the recent election, Central Elections Committee Chairman Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg says that information provided so far regarding the suspicions has not yet yielded evidence of wrongdoing, and that such evidence may not ever be found.

Writing to the members of the committee, Sohlberg also says that cooperation between the police, the Shin Bet and the Attorney General’s Office is “good,” and that after examining the issue he had not found that the Attorney General’s Office was blocking requests by the Shin Bet to conduct investigative actions.

“The investigation is still ongoing. Confidential information has been presented — material that has not yet ripened into actual evidence, and may never do so; time will tell,” writes Sohlberg to the Central Elections Committee members.

“I have found that the cooperation between the Shin Bet, the Israel Police and the Attorney General’s Office is good… [I] found no instances where the Attorney General’s Office refused investigative requests submitted by the Shin Bet,” he adds.

Shin Bet chief David Zini has previously complained that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has hampered the investigation, while Baharav-Miara for her part has accused Zini of seeking to question senior Arab politicians without presenting evidence to justify such a step.

Sohlberg also addresses leaks to the media of documents related to the investigation and says they are harming the investigation.

“My complaint is not about manners or etiquette, but rather about the repeated harm caused to the investigation —specifically to its security-related aspects — as a result of leaks. Such leaks are a malignant phenomenon,” says the judge.