BICOM

Former Foreign Minister and head of Yisrael Beitenu, Avigdor Lieberman was acquitted this morning of charges of fraud and breach of trust.

The case centred on allegations that Lieberman failed to disclose the receipt of illicit information relating to separate allegations against him, from Israel’s former ambassador to Belarus, Zeev Ben Aryeh. It was alleged Lieberman then pushed through the appointment of Ben Aryeh as the envoy to Latvia as a reward for his actions.

This morning, a panel of three judges at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court unanimously ruled that Lieberman was not guilty. Although they said Lieberman had acted improperly in failing to inform the Foreign Ministry’s appointments committees of his prior dealings with Ben Aryeh, they explained he “was not aware of the seriousness of the circumstances and his appointment of Ben Aryeh was not a promotion.”

Leaving the court, Lieberman thanked his family and supporters and simply said, “This chapter is behind me… I am now focusing on the challenges ahead.”

The case could have forced Lieberman to leave politics. Had he received a prison sentence of three months or longer, or the crimes deemed to constitute moral turpitude, Lieberman would have been barred from running for Knesset or serving as a government minister for seven years. However, he is now expected to return to office as Foreign Minister, with the post having been left vacant by Prime Minister Netanyahu ever since Lieberman’s resignation in December ahead of the trial.

Lieberman’s acquittal should also provide further clarity on the future of Yisrael Beitenu, the party which he founded. Yisrael Beiteinu ran on a joint ticket with Netanyahu’s Likud Party in January’s election and the two parties have remained merged as one faction. However, Yisrael Beitenu is expected to decide later this month whether to revert to working as an independent faction.