Likud MK Blumenthal charged with bribery, obstructing justice

Likud MK Naomi Blumenthal was charged yesterday with bribery during the Likud primary elections last year, and with obstruction of justice in the investigation into the affair.

The maximum penalty for these offenses is 10 years in prison. Likud activist Michael Elnekaveh was also indicted on two corruption charges.

According to the indictment, Blumenthal's driver Avi Oski, who turned state witness, asked a friend of Elnekaveh's to help Blumenthal get elected. The three met in a cafe in Hadera where they agreed that Blumenthal would foot the bill for hosting Likud central committee members at Ramat Gan's City Tower Hotel. Elnekaveh then booked 15 rooms, with Blumenthal's consent.

The indictment also states that Blumenthal withdrew NIS 12,000 from an ATM, gave them to Oski who them handed them on to Elnekaveh to pay for the hotel rooms.

The receipt was issued in the name of another woman. The payment exceeded the price of the 15 rooms, and covered the cost of hosting Elnekaveh and his family at the hotel.

In his interrogation, Oski said that when the media began to inquire who paid for the hotel rooms, Blumenthal ordered him to bring Elnekaveh to a secret meeting in the coastal kibbutz of Ga'ash.

The three formulated a false story, according to which Elnekaveh paid for the rooms, and Oski asked Blumenthal for a loan to cover the cost of the bill.

Blumenthal's parliamentary immunity was recently lifted with her consent.