Police to recommend charging former senior defense official in graft probe

Police announced Thursday that they are recommending  a raft of fraud and bribery charges against Avriel Bar-Yosef,  a senior defense official who Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year nominated to serve as national security adviser.

According to a police statement, Bar-Yosef, 62, is suspected of bribery, money laundering, fraud and breach of trust.

Bar-Yosef is also a suspect in the submarine scandal in which it is suspected that bribes were paid out in connection with a decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to buy three submarines and other naval vessels from the German company ThyssenKrupp, despite opposition from the Israeli Defense Ministry. Netanyahu is not a suspect.

However,  the charges recommended Thursday appear not to be connected to the submarine deal.

“Police have finished their investigation into Avriel Bar-Yosef,” the spokeswoman said. “Investigators believe they have gathered a basis of evidence against Avriel Bar-Yosef, to support the suspicion of his involvement in bribery, fraud, breach of trust and money laundering offenses,” she said.

According to police, Bar-Yosef is suspected of receiving bribes from a German businessman who invested hundreds of thousands of euros in a company run by a close relative of his, in addition to receiving other valuable benefits and promises of future money.

In exchange, Bar-Yosef advanced the interests of the German businessman, among other things in the development of Israel’s offshore natural gas reserves.

Hadashot news (formerly Channel 2) named the German businessman as Michael Herzog. The station also said that police were recommending charges against Bar-Yosef’s wife Aliza.

Bar-Yosef, who was deeply involved in forming the natural gas policies, is said to have pushed for the establishment of a facility that would have reaped large profits for the Germans, despite objections from experts.

Jack Chen, Bar-Yosef’s lawyer said in response that he was certain his client would not be prosecuted.

“The role of the police is to investigate. We are certain that the State Prosecutor’s Office will study the investigation file and find that there is no basis for prosecution,” he said.

Bar-Yosef had been nominated by Netanyahu in 2016 to serve as national security adviser, a top administration post, but withdrew his candidacy in July of that year after advocacy groups alleged the ex-aide received money from foreign business associates, constituting a conflict of interest.

A brigadier-general in the IDF reserves, Bar-Yosef served for 25 years in the navy and was director of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, director of the Defense Budget Committee and deputy chief of the National Security Council.