Attorney General Yehudi Weinstein has announced his decision to move ahead with an indictment against former Labor party MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer. According to the Channel 2 News report, the indictment will include charges of accepting bribes, fraud, money laundering and breach of trust.

Ben-Eliezer was compelled to drop out of the race to become president amid police reports of suspected illegal activities. He was questioned ‘under warning’ numerous times by police, leading to Weinstein’s decision to accept the recommendation of Israel Police to file an indictment. Ben-Eliezer has also since retired from Knesset.

As the investigation moved forward police informed the public that hundreds of thousands of dollars were found in a safety deposit box, which Ben-Eliezer explained belongs to a son who lives in the USA. The investigation ultimately led police to believe the former senior IDF officer and veteran MK has been involved in illegal activities, recommending to the attorney general to file a criminal indictment against him.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)