Lieberman lashes out at police, prosecution 'blackmail'

Israel Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman Monday lashed out at the police investigations conducted against him, saying that "the police and prosecutors are holding a hunting expedition against me,' and accusing them of "blackmail."

In a news conference, he also attacked investigative journalists Amnon Avramovich and Mordechai Gilat, calling them "the champion of the corrupt and his deputy." He said they had carried out a "media witchhunt" against him.

Police suspect Lieberman of having taken hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bribes while serving as a cabinet minister from 2001 to 2004. The bribes, which police believe were paid by businessmen Martin Schlaff and Michael Chernoy, were allegedly transferred via companies owned by either Lieberman or his daughter, Michal Lieberman-Galon.

Police also suspect that Lieberman continued to engage in private business while serving as a minister, in violation of both the law and the affidavit that he submitted to the state comptroller.

Finally, police suspect that Lieberman's attorney, Yoav Many, abetted the alleged crimes, which could include bribe-taking, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering and falsifying corporate documents.

After police raided Many's office last year, they put the documents they seized in a sealed envelope and gave it to the court, since Lieberman and Many claimed they were protected by attorney-client privilege. In December 2007, the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court rejected this argument, saying there were valid suspicions that Many had violated the law, and therefore, attorney-client privilege no longer applied. Lieberman and Many then appealed this decision to the district court, which rejected the appeal last month.

Lieberman said Monday that he had been under continual police scrutiny since 1996, when he became director-general of the Prime Minister's Office under then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Senior police officials have said in recent weeks that Lieberman himself was responsible for a significant delay in the investigation against him. They said Lieberman's refusal to cooperate, in refusing to allow investigators to look at documents seized in his lawyer's possession, greatly prolonged the process.

	Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman (file).