RAMALLAH – The Israeli Justice Ministry Sunday formally indicted former foreign minister and Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman on fraud and breach of trust charges. The Israeli Prosecutor's Office filed the charges with the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court. The Israeli's Channel 2 television said that the indictment includes new details that strengthen the case against Lieberman, in which Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon is expected to be the main witness. According to the indictment, much of the breach of trust case focuses on Lieberman's alleged involvement in the promotion of former Israeli Ambassador to Belarus Zeev Ben Aryeh within the Diplomatic Corps – to the post of ambassador to Latvia. The promotion was allegedly promised to Ben Aryeh after he gave Lieberman secret details pertaining to a criminal investigation against him for an alleged massive money-laundering scheme. The case has since been closed for lack of evidence. Last week, amid reports that Ayalon had supplied damning new details against his former boss, police summoned Lieberman for a 40-minute interrogation. On Thursday, it was announced that Ayalon had been added to the list of witnesses for the prosecution. Ayalon was unceremoniously omitted from Yisrael Beiteinu's Knesset election roster in early December, though a reason was never made public. The timing of the indictment appears to have dashed Lieberman's hope to wrap up his trial before the Knesset elections on Jan. 22. If Lieberman is convicted for a charge that carries moral turpitude after he is elected to the next Knesset he will have to resign immediately. If he is found guilty of a charge that carries moral turpitude and imprisoned for at least three months, he will be banned for competing for a Knesset seat for seven years from the end of his prison term. Lieberman resigned as foreign minister and waived his parliamentary immunity two weeks ago when the Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein announced his intention to file an indictment against him over what then appeared to be relatively minor allegations of breach of trust and fraud. A spokesperson for Yisrael Beiteinu said that “MK Lieberman wants to see the matter quickly resolved in court, which is why he immediately forfeited his immunity upon receiving the attorney general's notice, which followed his resignation as foreign minister, so that the case will be resolved in court, and only there.” The spokesperson added, “All the rumors of a plea bargain are baseless.”
