Minister (Bayit Yehudi) Uri Ariel flew to Ethiopia earlier this week on a special shlichus. He will be meeting with Israeli businessman Menashe Levy, who has been imprisoned there for 15 months for tax evasion amounting to NIS 26 million.

Ynet reports that with the exception of Jonathan Pollard, this is the first time that an Israeli cabinet minister has been asked to fly to another country to meet with an Israeli imprisoned in another country. Ariel hopes to meet with the Ethiopian Minister of Agriculture. The details of his mission are not being reported and the minister’s staff will not comment on the trip. What is known is that prior to leaving Ariel spoke with Foreign Ministry Director-General Dr. Dore Gold, persuading him of the importance of his mission towards arranging a meeting with the Ethiopian Agriculture Minister. Gold spoke with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister to inform him of Ariel’s upcoming visit.

Ariel decided to fly to Ethiopia after meeting with the family and heard the entire story from them and how he has been attacked in jail and has suffered a heart attack and of late, his health continues to deteriorate.

Levy lived and worked in Ethiopia for the past eight years. He established a branch of תדהר חפירה וחציבה, a major infrastructure business in Ethiopia. The company paved roads in Addis Ababa, along with interchanges, bridges and tunnels. An investigation was launched into his business dealings connecting him to alleged bribery and this led to the charges of tax evasion. He claims persons interesting in taking over his business set him up and he has done nothing wrong.

In July 2015 he was arrested and charged with tax fraud amounting to 144 million birr, about NIS 26 million. He is held in an Addis Ababa prison and awaits the end of his trial. In the interim, local authorities have shut down all his assets and bank accounts and confiscated 38 pieces of equipment valued as $30 million.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)