Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., October 29, 2007 Cheshvan 17, 5768 | | Israel Time: 10:17 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Print Edition Diplomacy Defense Arts & Leisure Real Estate Jewish World National Advertising Magazine Week's End Business Opinion Rosner's Domain Anglo File Books Travel

Gilad Sharon. (Motti Kimche) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 01:08 29/10/2007 Israel joins U.S. probe of Gilad Sharon over alleged $1.8M fraud By Jonathan Lis and Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent Israel Police's national fraud unit has for over two years been conducting a criminal investigation of Gilad Sharon, son of former prime minister Ariel Sharon, on suspicion that he served as a conduit for transfering to his father $1.8 million from businessman Arie Genger. Police suspect the money was transfered to Gilad Sharon in the guise of profits from a real-estate deal in Canada, details of which are contained in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court a week ago by Dalia Genger against her ex-husband, Arie, Gilad Sharon and their American lawyers. Gilad Sharon allegedly received the money from the Canadian projects through two companies that he controled: Sycamore Ranch Ltd. and Lerner Manor Trusteeships. Advertisement The fraud squad on Sunday confirmed the existence of the investigation, but police sources said it is merely another link in a long chain of investigations into the financial dealings of the Sharon family. Sources close to the police investigation said Sunday that Gilad Sharon had been questioned in the matter, but opted to remain silent as in all of his interrogations. Sharon and his associates declined to comment Sunday on the suspicions ascribed to them. The lawsuit filed in New York alleges that documents pertaining to Arie Genger's real-estate company, which owned two projects in Montreal, were falsified in order to make it look like a company owned by Gilad Sharon had half the shares in the projects. Dalia Genger claims her ex-husband did this to reduce the scope of his assets in their divorce settlement, thereby denying her and their children monies to which they were entitled. At the center of the lawsuit are several companies founded by Genger. One of these, AG Properties, purchased the two Montreal projects in 2001 and early 2002. Dalia Genger claims that the deal was paid for with $2 million from the funds of a family-owned company, TPR Investments, in which Arie Genger held 51 percent of the shares (as joint property with his then wife). The remaining shares were held by a limited partnership, whose main owners were the Genger children's trust funds. The lawsuit alleges that after the Gengers initiated divorce proceedings, the paperwork for the real-estate company was altered, and the investment by the family firm was made to look like a loan. Thus, the family could recoup only the amount they had invested in the deal, plus interest, but not share in the profits. In 2003, when the Montreal projects were poised to succeed, Arie Genger and his American lawyers allegedly forged documents in order to hide information concerning their ownership, and to withhold the anticipated profits from their real owners. The allegedly forged documents showed that half of AG Properties' shares were sold for $25,000 to Lerner Manor Trusteeships, which the suit claims was controled by Gilad Sharon. Dalia Genger claims that in a 2003 affidavit during the divorce proceedings, her ex-husband identified "a company indirectly owned by Gilad Sharon" as the owner of half the real-estate company. Later, with the help of the American lawyers, the company papers were allegedly altered to match the affidavit. Lerner Manor Trusteeships paid $25,000 for the shares through a bank transfer on March 27, 2003. The company was reportedly founded in September 2002, but the forged documents tried to make it appear as if it purchased half of the ownership of the Canadian projects months before it existed. As a result, the suit alleges, half the proceeds from the projects (minus the $25,000 investment) went to the trusteeships firm owned by Gilad Sharon. In 2005 the projects were sold for a large profit, and $1.8 million were transfered to Gilad Sharon  72 times the amount he had allegedly invested in the deal Bookmark to del.icio.us 6 years on Officials say Syria's suspected reactor was under construction in 2001. Nyet to aliyah The minister was wrong: Nativ's tactics simply aren't suited to today's Jewish village.   1.   so vat`s new? 09:15  |  samos 28/10/07   2.   Rotten tree 10:29  |  Clickfool 28/10/07   3.   In the USA, or Israel, `conservative" is 01:17  |  Mark Lincoln 29/10/07   4.   poor Sharon. 01:56  |  Gabriel 29/10/07   5.   CLICKFOOL DONT BLAME PAREnts 01:58  |  TOBIA 29/10/07   6.   Oh Boy oh boy 02:28  |  Abe 29/10/07   7.   #1 Tobia 04:48  |  Labhras 29/10/07   8.   corruption 06:39  |  john 29/10/07   9.   For the sake of the parent.... 08:18  |  Esther 29/10/07   10.   What is the latest word on Arik? 08:23  |  hala 29/10/07

Today Online Gideon Levy: Peace summit will expose Israel's true colors Responses: 6 Israel allows money to flow into Gaza Strip despite sanctions Responses: 7 Ze'ev Segal: The assassin of a PM deserves no leniency Send response Itamar Rabinovitch: Preparing for life in the Middle East after Bush Responses: 1 Ukraine to ask Israel: Recognize 1930s famine as genocide Responses: 47 Rosner's Domain * Is Tikkun Olam a substitute for Israel? * New Guest: The Zionism of Winston Churchill * WTR: Only 35% of Americans believe Iran can be stopped * Is Haaretz really better than the New York Times? More Headlines 10:09 Two soldiers wounded in southern Gaza Strip clashes 09:45 Israel allows money to flow into Gaza Strip despite sanctions 07:56 Livni visits China in bid to step up economic sanctions on Iran 10:12 Tamir, pressed to end teacher strike, to meet with union chief 08:08 Systematic mass murder of Jews detailed in huge Nazi archive 07:30 Ukraine to ask Israel: Recognize 1930s famine as state genocide 08:48 17-year-old boy found stabbed to death after Herzliya brawl 08:16 Mazuz: Katsav may have had consensual affair with accuser 04:30 Steep rise in child sexual assault complaints among Haredis 05:06 Pollution slashes almost a third of Israel's drinking water in 2005 Previous Editions Select Day 28 oct 26 oct 25 oct 24 oct 23 oct 22 oct 21 oct 19 oct 18 oct 17 oct 16 oct 15 oct

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