Scandal-dogged lawmaker probed on assault charges

The police Lahav 433 serious crime unit on Sunday questioned under caution scandal-hounded lawmaker Oren Hazan in connection with allegations that he assaulted the mayor of Ariel and the municipal director-general.

Hazan, a Likud member of Knesset who serves as deputy Knesset speaker, posted a message to his Twitter feed saying he trusted the police to see justice done.

“I just finished completing my testimony in the investigation into a mutual complaint filed by the mayor of Ariel and I, against each other,” he wrote. “I am sure that the Lahav 433 unit will quickly see justice brought to light.”

The charges relate to a heated clash in 2014 between Hazan, a resident of Ariel, and Eli Shaviro, the mayor of the West Bank settlement.

Both sides filed complaints against each other, but after Hazan became a member of Knesset following the March 2015 elections, police needed approval by Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein to continue with the investigation.

Weinstein gave the go-ahead to police in June after a series of allegations against Hazan over his behavior before he won his Knesset seat.

Earlier June, a number of women told the Israeli media that Hazan sexually harassed them when they worked for him at a bar several years ago.

Channel 10 broadcast the testimonies at the time and only a week after a Channel 2 television exposé tied Hazan to the management of a casino in Bulgaria, where he purportedly bought and smoked crystal meth and, to boot, regularly hired prostitutes for gamblers who were visiting his establishment.

Hazan denies the allegations.

According to the Channel 10 report, a number of young women formerly employed by Hazan, at the Hotel Fleisher bar in Tel Aviv, came forward and said the 33-year-old freshman lawmaker would often touch them inappropriately, brush up against them as if it was unintentional and take off his clothes after nights of heavy drinking.

In light of the mounting claims, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein banned Hazan from presiding over any Knesset meetings.

A number of politicians have also denounced Hazan’s behavior.

In the Channel 2 report, titled “Prostitutes, drugs and the deputy speaker of the Knesset,” two Israeli tourists and a casino employee said that Hazan would provide prostitutes for his guests in the Burgas casino, in which he held a stake. Both prostitution and hard-drug use are illegal in Bulgaria.

According to a June report from Channel 1, soon after the swearing-in ceremony of Knesset members in May, a Bulgarian official contacted Israeli officials and asked that Hazan not be involved in any dealings between the two countries.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.