No basis for Filber’s allegation of sexual assault after arrest, prosecutors say

Prosecutors on Wednesday informed Shlomo Filber, a state witness in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial, that a police investigation has uncovered no evidence to show that he was sexually assaulted during a body search after he was arrested in 2018.

Filber, a former Communications Ministry director general and adviser to the premier, was arrested over his involvement in Case 4000 — in which it is alleged that Netanyahu made regulatory decisions that benefited Bezeq telecom company majority shareholder Shaul Elovitch in return for favorable coverage on the Walla news website, also owned by Elovitch.

Earlier this year, Filber filed a lawsuit against the Israel Prison Service and senior law enforcement officials, demanding NIS 6 million ($1.7 million) in compensation for sexual assault he said he was subjected to during a body search conducted by the IPS after he was arrested.

“The National Unit for Investigating Prison Guards of the Israel Police investigated the complaint thoroughly and exhaustively, statements were collected from all relevant IPS officials at the time, and documents that could be restored were collected,” the State Attorney’s Office Central District told Filber on Wednesday.

“After a thorough examination of all the evidence collected, the State Attorney’s Office came to the conclusion that the investigation did not reveal any basis to show a criminal offense had been committed, and therefore the case was closed.”

After his arrest, Filber agreed to become a state witness and testified that the prime minister had instructed him to make decisions that financially benefited the Bezeq telecom giant, incriminating himself in the process of his testimony.

The prosecution alleges Netanyahu ordered Filber to make those decisions as part of an illicit quid pro quo agreement between the prime minister and Bezeq owner Shaul Elovitch.

Under cross-examination in court, however, Filber contradicted his original testimony, saying Netanyahu had not given him any instructions to benefit Bezeq, before reversing himself again and telling the court that his original testimony was accurate.

The State Attorney’s Office has sought to revoke the state witness agreement made with Filber, potentially exposing him to prosecution.

Filber has previously accused police interrogators of trying to manipulate him during their investigation.

The prosecution alleges that Netanyahu had an illegal agreement with Elovitch in which the Elovitch-owned Walla news website would provide favorable media coverage to the prime minister, who, in return, ensured the passage of regulatory decisions that would benefit Elovitch’s business interests.

During testimony in court, Netanyahu has strongly denied the existence of any such agreement between himself and Elovitch, and argued vehemently that Walla did not give him positive media coverage.