Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, on Friday addressed the massive corruption scandal exposed this week and to which members of his party have been linked.
30 senior figures, including Deputy Interior Minister Faina Kirschenbaum and former Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov, both of Yisrael Beytenu, have been brought in for investigation for involvement in corruption.
A gag order was released on the case Wednesday morning, revealing that the suspects apparently illegally allocated budgets to NPOs and different sources, transferred funds to regional council organizations, and laundered money through “straw company” fronts.
In a post on his Facebook page on Friday afternoon, Liberman blamed “mysterious forces” which, he said, always interfere in Yisrael Beytenu’s campaign before every election.
“I’m certain of the innocence of all our friends, and stress again that one should not rush to decide the fate of the people,” he said.
“Only those who are lazy will not think why and how, time after time, and without exception, before each election, ‘mysterious forces’ intervene and violate the right of Yisrael Beytenu to a fair campaign. As far as Yisrael Beytenu is concerned – there are no elections without investigation,” wrote Liberman.
He further noted that “in a democratic society a person is innocent until proven otherwise” and added, “I also strongly reject the attempt to tarnish Yisrael Beytenu as a whole. We’ve known how to deal with this every time and we came out stronger; this time, too, we will come out strong and we will continue to work for the security and unity of the State of Israel.”
Earlier this week, after the corruption scandal was exposed, Liberman “played dumb” and, speaking at forum, said, “I’m not familiar with the case beyond what I heard in the news and I have nothing to add.”
Addressing the audience sarcastically, he continued, “If there are those who are disappointed they should leave the hall now, because on this topic I have nothing to enlighten or oppose the opinions of others.”
Before the last elections, Liberman was forced to resign from his position as Foreign Minister, after the Attorney General decided to indict him on charges of fraud and breach of trust.
A three-judge panel unanimously acquitted Liberman of the charges against him last November, and he subsequently returned to office as Foreign Minister.
(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)
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