After over 12 years of investigations and police questioning, former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s fraud trial began on Sunday, 7 Adar 5773. All efforts are being made by Lieberman’s legal team to expedite the process, confident the former senior government cabinet minister will be acquitted. The trial will determine the future of Lieberman in politics, for a conviction with a moral turpitude clause may not land him in jail, but it will mark the end of his career as a government minister. At present, the Foreign Ministry portfolio is being held for him pending the outcome of the trial.

The trial surrounds former Israeli Ambassador Ze’ev Ben-Aryeh, who allegedly gave Lieberman classified information to assist him in an ongoing police investigation against him. In return, Lieberman allegedly used the weight of his office to advance the ambassador’s career. Ben-Aryeh has already been convicted and sentenced to community service, ending his Foreign Service career.

Lieberman’s defense team, attorneys Giora Aderet, Nati Simchoni, Yaron Kustalitz, and Oded Gazit remain confident their client will be acquitted of all charges against him. They also feel the facts in the case are undisputed and therefore, the trial will not last more than a few sessions at most.

The primary case against Lieberman was closed due to a lack of evidence and supporters of the Yisrael Beitenu Party leader accuse the state prosecution of a “witch hunt”, explaining that after realizing there is no real case against him they made do with what they could get just to throw a wrench into the senior official’s political career. Lieberman’s supporters point out he has been under investigation for some 13 years yet there is no genuine evidence against him but nevertheless, the state chose to indict him.

Should Lieberman be convicted and sentenced to prison for over three months accompanied by a moral turpitude clause, he will have to resign from Knesset and he will not be permitted to run against until the seven-year hiatus period elapses. He will not be permitted to be appointed to a cabinet post for a decade.

In an interview with Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) about a month ago, Lieberman said that if he is found guilty, even without the moral turpitude clause, he will resign from political life.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)