BICOM

The indictment against former-foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman was revised yesterday. No additional charges were brought against him, but tougher language was added which could complicate his political future if found guilty.

Lieberman resigned as Israel’s Foreign Minister two weeks ago after being charged with fraud and breach of trust over allegations that he failed to disclose that he had received illicit information from Israel’s former ambassador to Belarus, Zeev Ben Aryeh, who was then appointed as the envoy to Latvia. However, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein sent a letter to Lieberman’s lawyers yesterday explaining that in light of new testimonies which have been gathered, which “suggest that MK Lieberman had a bigger role in the ambassador’s appointment than noted in the original indictment it was decided to add a number of facts.”

The amended indictment alleges that six months after receiving the information from Ben Aryeh, Lieberman summoned his deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, and told him to ensure that the ministry’s appointments committee named Ben Aryeh ambassador to Latvia. Ayalon has been named as a prosecution witness in the case just weeks after Lieberman surprisingly omitted him from Yisrael Beitenu’s list of Knesset candidates.

Lieberman responded to yesterday’s announcement saying, “I repeat I did not break any law and that has not changed. I want this matter to be quickly sorted out in court.” However, with an expanded number of witnesses having been named, it seems unlikely that the case will be closed before the election on 22 January.

Although the revised indictment brings no additional charges against Lieberman, the tougher language would appear to increase the chances that a conviction would involve moral turpitude, which would see Lieberman excluded from ministerial office for seven years.