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Former head of Military Intelligence quizzed for disclosing state secrets By Yossi Melman Tags: Eli Zeira The Shin Bet security service and the Israel Police have opened a criminal investigation against former Military Intelligence chief Eli Zeira, on suspicion of disclosing state secrets. This marks the first time that the Shin Bet has investigated allegations involving state security against a senior officer - Zeira is a major general - and former MI head. The investigation is focusing on the allegation that Zeira revealed the name of Ashraf Marwan, the Mossad agent and Egyptian businessman who died under mysterious circumstances in London about a year ago. The investigation began two months ago, but was under a comprehensive four-month gag order until yesterday, when the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court acceded to a request by Haaretz attorneys and eased the terms of the media blackout. Advertisement The investigation was ordered a few months ago by Deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan, who took over the case after Attorney General Menachem Mazuz recused himself for fear of the appearance of a conflict of interest, in light of his family connection with one of the figures associated with the case. The prosecution began its examination after former Mossad chief Zvi Zamir and two former officers from the Israel Defense Forces' intelligence section, Brigadier General Amos Gilboa and Colonel Yossi Langotsky, filed a complaint against Zeira over four years ago. They provided Mazuz with documents containing prima facie evidence implicating Zeira. These included testimony, research studies and articles from scholarly journals, as well as the popular press in Israel and abroad indicating that Zeira was the source who fingered Marwan. Mazuz and Nitzan appointed an investigatory team headed by attorney Bat-Or Kahanovich of the department of special assignments at the State Attorney's Office. Kahanovich and Nitzan deliberated at length before starting the investigation, in part because Mossad chief Meir Dagan and a few senior Mossad officials were less than thrilled about the idea - they feared it could lead to the disclosure of additional state secrets. In the late 1990s, Zeira implied and explicitly stated to Israeli and foreign journalists that Ashraf Marwan was the Mossad agent who informed Israel about Egypt's plans to attack Israel on October 6, 1973. Zeira claimed that Marwan was a double agent who deceived Israel, a claim that was utterly refuted already in the 1970s, in thorough investigations by both MI and the Mossad. A few Israeli journalists who had heard the story from Zeira maintained their silence for a few years, but eventually it began leaking into press reports. The first person to explicitly mention Marwan by name was Dr. Aharon Bregman, an Israeli historian who teaches at King's College London. It was in late 2002, in an interview to the Egyptian daily Al Ahram. In June 2007, former Supreme Court justice Theodor Or found for the defense in a slander suit brought against Zamir by Zeira, ruling that Zeira had indeed leaked Marwan's name. The verdict explicitly mentioned Marwan, whose body was found near his London apartment two weeks later. The London police are still investigation whether Marwan committed suicide by jumping out the window after his name was made public, or was murdered by Egyptian agents. After Marwan's death, Zamir said he had no doubt that Marwan had killed himself because of Zeira's disclosures. Marwan was the son-in-law of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. In 1969 he offered his services to the Mossad, and after being turned down the first time, he was eventually recruited. He received a total of about $1 million for his services. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Kafka's heir Many believe Hava Hoffe is in possession of an important literary treasure. Press doyen Eric Silver, veteran of the foreign press corps in Jerusalem, dies aged 73.

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