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Comments:  85
Last update - 20:16 05/04/2009
Police: Lieberman probe likely to result in corruption charges
By Jonathan Lis and Lily Galili
Tags: Lieberman, police, corruption 

The corruption investigation into Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is likely to produce charges of money laundering, fraud and breach of trust, police sources said Saturday, adding that questioning of the Yisrael Beiteinu leader was nearing an end.

Unless additional testimony is needed, the police will submit their recommendations on filing an indictment in the coming weeks, the sources said.

They said the investigators were collecting more testimony from Lieberman with the intent to charge him with bribery as well.
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Lieberman's testimony, the final stage of the police probe, began last week; the foreign minister will soon undergo one more session before the case is transferred to the State Prosecutor's Office.

Sources close to the investigation said that as long as Lieberman has not finished giving testimony, a final charge sheet cannot be drawn up.

The foreign minister was questioned for five hours Friday by a team from the National Fraud Investigation Unit at an undisclosed location. Investigators presented him with documents outlining computerized financial transactions of firms suspected to be shell companies providing cover to move money to his bank accounts.

Lieberman was asked to describe the origins of the money and how much was transferred, as well as the motives for creating the companies and their activities.

Lieberman was first questioned on the matter in April 2007, but last week was the first time he was asked about thousands of documents obtained by investigators since then.

Sources at Yisrael Beiteinu said this weekend the party would not leave the government even if Lieberman is forced to withdraw from the governing coalition during the investigation. This comes despite Lieberman's recent assertions that the party would quit the government should he be forced to relinquish the foreign ministry portfolio.

Yisrael Beiteinu won't quit government

Party sources told Haaretz that the Yisrael Beiteinu "has too many interests to give up on them, even without Lieberman. Maybe we'll try to switch the foreign ministry post with a less senior placement." The party's interests extend not only to the national government and Knesset, but also to a widespread presence at the municipal level the party created ahead of the last elections, the sources say.

Nonetheless, the possibility Lieberman will step down, and the party's future should he be forced to, are not currently being discussed within Yisrael Beiteinu. The question was first raised a month before the elections, but has since been removed from the party's official talking points. Its official response is, "The investigations have so far taken 13 years, and they'll probably take another 13 years."

Related articles:
  • Police question Lieberman in corruption investigation
  • Police grill Lieberman for second time in three days
  • Editorial / Israel will pay heavy price for Lieberman's mistakes
  • Arab League: Lieberman changes Israel`s tone, not policy
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      1.   The Police said these very same things against oldmert and look 04:46  |  glenna 05/04/09
      2.   State interests prevail over Prosecutor`s Office Interests 05:23  |  Joseph.E 05/04/09
      3.   In the USA and Canada, 05:41  |  Robert Haymond 05/04/09
      4.   A Question: 05:48  |  Jasper 05/04/09
      5.   Don`t leave us, Yvet 06:01  |  Ben K 05/04/09
      6.   Not all Israeli politicians are fraud artists .... 06:03  |  susan k 05/04/09
      7.   As in the days of the first commonwealth 06:36  |  Paul Freedman 05/04/09
      8.   Mulling the doings of this man... 08:24  |  Esther 05/04/09
      9.   THE PERFECT CHOICE FOR ISRAELI PM! 08:46  |  Fritz 05/04/09
      10.   Bloody hell! 08:54  |  Nathan 05/04/09
      11.   Police and Lieberman 08:57  |  DT 05/04/09
      12.   #4 An Answer 09:09  |  Kate 05/04/09
      13.   The Israeli police are a bunch of @$$ holes. 09:10  |  Jew 05/04/09
      14.   Robert #3 09:13  |  Esther 05/04/09
      15.   Lieberman 09:51  |  jossi 05/04/09
      16.   The Justice System or not! 10:13  |  Ros 05/04/09
      17.   Hope this time it`ll work 10:16  |  Northern 05/04/09
      18.   foreign ministry post 10:25  |  YT 05/04/09
      19.   Investigations 10:30  |  tiki 05/04/09
      20.   why is Lieberman the leading story? 10:39  |  Agnes 05/04/09
      21.   gotta wonder if yisrael beiteinu is ditching a liability? (2nd tr 10:44  |  eric 05/04/09
      22.   Well, at least Israeliness has got a face now. 11:00  |  Andreas 05/04/09
      23.   He fits right in! Israel shamed yet again. 11:47  |  Manny Goldstein 05/04/09
      24.   Imminent Demise 12:00  |  True Zionist 05/04/09
      25.   Police`s Lieberman Probe 13:13  |  Oskar Prager 05/04/09
      26.   ten years already 13:16  |  John Smith 05/04/09
      27.   lieberman was voted in to power by many 13:42  |  harzion 05/04/09
      28.   lieberman`s best idea 13:45  |  harzion 05/04/09
      29.   lieberman was natanyahu`s chief of staff 13:47  |  harzion 05/04/09
      30.   #4 Jasper of Melwaukee,I don`t recall any trial by Jury in Israel 13:57  |  Israeli Observer 05/04/09
      31.   You couldn`t make it up 14:37  |  Chris Linthwaite 05/04/09
      32.   No wonder 15:14  |  Abe 05/04/09
      33.   @ Susan K 15:58  |  mark aleshnick 05/04/09
      34.   @ Susan K. #6 16:03  |  mark aleshnick 05/04/09
      35.   media group think 16:08  |  harzion 05/04/09
      36.   Beezrat Hashem! 16:11  |  sandra chitayat 05/04/09
      37.   tiki: where did it get Berlusconi? 16:14  |  AT 05/04/09
      38.   hello Israel, you deserves liebermann and netaniahu 17:21  |  kaled 05/04/09
      39.   Ben K in Ottawa 18:29  |  joan 05/04/09
      40.   Re# 1 Glenna..the problems are with... 18:37  |  Ines 05/04/09
      41.   The electorate 18:42  |  joan 05/04/09
      42.   Re #3 Lieberman...is not threatening... 18:48  |  Ines 05/04/09
      43.   Re# 4 Why so surprise Jaspar.... 18:59  |  Ines 05/04/09
      44.   Re Rigth Ben K that is What it is... 19:02  |  Ines 05/04/09
      45.   Re# 6 Well Susan... Not all Canadians are 19:05  |  Ines 05/04/09
      46.   Re# 8 Well Esther...he is a bully.... 19:12  |  Ines 05/04/09
      47.   Re# 9 I do know that there are good politicians in Israel 19:24  |  Ines 05/04/09
      48.   Re# 10 Nathan it is a matter of education and principles 19:29  |  Ines 05/04/09
      49.   Re# 11 12 Years ??? 19:34  |  Ines 05/04/09
      50.   This Moldovan Criminal should be deported! 19:35  |  Israeli 05/04/09
      51.   Re # Jew... The problem is not with the police 19:49  |  Ines 05/04/09
      52.   Re # 11 This is not a matter of right or left 19:53  |  Ines 05/04/09
      53.   Re # Yah Jossi I do agree... 19:56  |  Ines 05/04/09
      54.   Re# 16 Ross..This man is under investigation 19:59  |  Ines 05/04/09
      55.   Re # 17 He is under investigations for 2 years now 20:02  |  Ines 05/04/09
      56.   Re # 18 YT the goverment is not a kindergarten 20:07  |  Ines 05/04/09
      57.   The electorate 20:10  |  joan 05/04/09
      58.   Re # Well Tiki..Italy may not be the best example 20:12  |  Ines 05/04/09
      59.   Israeli political culture 20:19  |  bronxite10 05/04/09
      60.   Political machinations against Lieberman 20:28  |  Brod 05/04/09
      61.   Re# 22 Andreas.. Lieberman is not the face of 20:29  |  Ines 05/04/09
      62.   The electorate 20:53  |  joan 05/04/09
      63.   They say a fish rots from it`s head. 20:53  |  Roo 05/04/09
      64.   Israel, its image and its politics.! 20:55  |  Stephen. 05/04/09
      65.   Self-destruct mode 20:55  |  Nathaniel 05/04/09
      66.   Re# 23 What does it says about Netanyahu ??? 21:01  |  Ines 05/04/09
      67.   Re # 23 I guess any decent company... 21:06  |  Ines 05/04/09
      68.   Re # 24 Bibi planned...No he plays by the music 21:11  |  Ines 05/04/09
      69.   Lieberman don`t worry we all know Mazuz won`t do anything 21:24  |  Kipperraes 05/04/09
      70.   Re : Harzion Many??? How many ??? 21:28  |  Ines 05/04/09
      71.   Re# 26 Right Harzion..those who curse Israel can 21:34  |  Ines 05/04/09
      72.   Re # 20 It will better for Lieberman to remain as 21:37  |  Ines 05/04/09
      73.   Re Abe if the arab terroristscan ...Israel also can 21:41  |  Ines 05/04/09
      74.   Re # Well Harzion..action and reaction... 21:43  |  Ines 05/04/09
      75.   Re # 33 Yah Joan ..sure Hamas and Al Qaida 21:46  |  Ines 05/04/09
      76.   #36 - Two years? Try eleven years! 21:48  |  martin knopfman 05/04/09
      77.   What a fine fellow, this Lieberman 22:24  |  RG 05/04/09
      78.   The electorate 22:39  |  joan 05/04/09
      79.   They say a fish rots from it`s head. 22:41  |  Roo 05/04/09
      80.   Aye,aye harzion Lieberman is the best ever, 02:28  |  Whiskey 06/04/09
      81.   Lieberman defines the term "sketchy" 03:02  |  Stephen Connor 06/04/09
      82.   Where are you now Victor Hardman? 03:03  |  Stephen Connor 06/04/09
      83.   Hands off Lieberman! 06:06  |  z, the monarchist 06/04/09
      84.   What a fine fellow, this Lieberman 07:00  |  RG 06/04/09
      85.   INES ALL POSTS.......... 15:32  |  Whiskey 06/04/09
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