Gaydamak vows to appeal if ordered to sell Radio 99 shares, complains of leaks

Business magnate Arcadi Gaydamak plans to appeal to the High Court of Justice if the Second Broadcast Authority demands that he sell off his Radio 99 radio station. Gaydamak has already instructed his attorney, Ron Gazit, to handle the issue.

According to a legal opinion recently filed by the Broadcast Authority's legal advisor, Gaydamak should be required to divest of his holdings in the radio station, and the authority does indeed have the power tender such a demand.

The issue is scheduled to be discussed today by the authority's finance committee. Authority chair Nurit Dabush and finance committee chair Rachel Primor have argued in earlier debates on the issue that both the law and the regulations of the Second Broadcast Authority require that he relinquish his holdings in the radio station in light of his political activity.

The Authority has already intervened in Gaydamak's exposure on public media before, when it ordered the Channel 2 franchise Reshet to withdraw scheduled programming staring the mogul cum politician.

In a letter sent to the Authority on Monday, Gaydamak's lawyer complained of leaks to the media, and of continued delays in addressing the issue the matter, following the Authority's request for clarifications last January as to how Gaydamak planned to avoid intervention in the programming. Gazit also said that according to a legal opinion in the possession of his client, he is not required to sell his holdings in the radio station.

"There is nothing to prevent Gaydamak from continuing to hold shares in the radio, as long as he has not been appointed to serve as minister or Knesset member," Gazit said. "He does not intervene in programming, and a mechanism has been provided to prevent him from doing so," he added.

Radio 99 declined to comment, saying only that they would respond when the legal opinion had been received.