State witness in submarine graft case: PM’s lawyer was to get 20% cut
Miki Ganor reportedly tells investigators that David Shimron stood to make $9 million for ensuring certain clauses were included in defense deal
The state witness in a corruption probe into a multi-billion shekel deal to purchase naval vessels from Germany has claimed that a lawyer suspected in the case stood to receive approximately $9 million for his part in the agreement, according to TV reports.
Miki Ganor, a former agent for the German submarine company ThyssenKryupp, said David Shimron — who is also Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cousin and personal attorney — was to receive 20 percent of his own commission of $45 million, Channel 2 and Channel 10 reported.
Shimron was hired by Ganor to negotiate the ship and submarine purchases.
This allegedly contradicts a statement given on behalf of Shimron by his lawyers Yaakov Weinroth and Amit Hadad, that Shimron was not going to receive anything from the deal other than his legal fees.
Channel 10 reported that in exchange for his share of the commission, Shimron was tasked with ensuring that certain undisclosed clauses were inserted into the memorandum of understanding between Israel and Germany for the purchase of the vessels.
In response to the reports Shimron’s lawyers said on Sunday, “These claims are so far removed from the truth that it is inconceivable that the state witness presented them to the police.
“At any rate, for the duration of the time Shimron represented Miki Ganor, he acted in the role of an attorney and all of his actions were in accordance with the law.”
Ganor and Shimron are among six suspects brought in for questioning earlier this month as part of the investigation. They are suspected of attempting to sway deals in favor of ThyssenKrupp. Two other suspects are former deputy head of the National Security Council Avriel Bar-Yosef and former commander of the Israeli Navy Maj. Gen. (res) Eliezer Marom.
The suspects were questioned under caution on suspicion of fraud, bribery, tax evasion and money laundering, the Israel Police and the Tax Authority said in a joint statement.
Netanyahu is not a suspect in the case. However, police are planning to summon him to testify on what he knows about the issue.
