The court hearing in the case of the submarines continues: The Lod District Court on Thursday, March 21, 2019, accepted the appeal of state witness Mickey Ganor and decided to release him to an alternative to detention. Hence, Ganor was scheduled to be released to house arrest until Monday.

The decision was made at the end of a hearing on the appeal filed by Ganor over his arrest, which was extended five days ago. The police claimed that the arrest was justified, since he was accused of new offenses that had not been attributed to him so far.

During the detention alternative, Ganor will not be able to contact his surroundings and will even have to pay a guarantee of NIS 100,000 that he will not violate the terms of his release. The state’s attorney in the submarines’ affair claimed that “the police did not take a rational step, but rather an emotional step.” In light of the judge’s decision, the police will appeal to the Supreme Court.

Ganor was a representative of the manufacturer of the Thyssenkrupp company which manufactured the submarines for the Israel Navy. Not long after he was arrested, he was reported to be conducting negotiations to turn him into a state witness. Following these contacts, his lawyer Nati Simhoni resigned.

Ganor was suspected of fraud, money laundering, and conspiring to commit a crime. He was arrested along with senior officials and associates of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, among them attorney David Shamron, former Navy commander Cheyne Merom and Avriel Bar Yosef, the head of the NSC.

After being confronted in a district hearing with testimonies and evidence he gave the police at first on the submarine affair, sources close to Ganor say that the police instructed him as what to say and threatened to arrest his family.

Ganor added that he stands behind the facts presented in his interrogations, but the interpretation he gave in his first version should change. During the hearing, Ganor left the courtroom for a few minutes after feeling ill.

After he changed his version and was arrested by the police, Judge Nava Bechor ruled that Ganor’s appeal should be accepted and that “an alternative to detention should be sufficient and would eliminate any fear of obstructing [the ongoing case].” In addition, Justice Bechor considered his medical condition.

The prosecution did not like the decision, saying that “Ganor ostensibly violated his commitments and statements under the agreement,” adding that they would consider canceling the agreement. Meaning: Ganor may be charged in the submarines’ affair.

The police announced that they would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.

Ganor was a representative of the manufacturer of the Thyssenkrupp company. Not long after he was arrested, he was reported to be conducting negotiations to turn him into a state witness. Following these contacts, his lawyer Nati Simhoni resigned.

Ganor was suspected of fraud, money laundering, and conspiring to commit a crime. He was arrested along with senior officials and associates of Prime Minister Netanyahu, among them attorney David Shamron, former Navy commander Cheyenne Marom and Avriel Bar Yosef, the head of the NSC.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)