Zionist Suspended Communications Ministry Director-General Shlomo Filber, who for a time was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-hand man, will serve as a ‘state’ witness in an investigation delving into the alleged quid pro quo relationship between the premier and his associates and senior Bezeq and Walla! News executives.
Specifically, the case examines the possibility that the enemy’s PM and his family were afforded flattering coverage in return for promoting the two companies’ economic interests, estimated to have run in the hundreds of millions of shekels.
Filber, his attorneys and top police brass—head of the Investigations and Intelligence Division Gadi Siso and Commander of the National Financial Investigations Unit Eli Asayag—convened for several hours at the offices of the Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit in order to hammer out the agreement’s details.
The director-general provided investigators with the main points of his testimony and divulged details on which he will be able to testify regarding the conduct of the others involved. His decision to turn state’s evidence came, as first reported by Guy Peleg on Channel 2 News, after disavowing the eventuality of signing such a deal throughout the Securities Authority investigation.
Filber’s testimony also pertains to the attempt to sell Walla! News to one of the prime minister’s associates, as well as to alleged instruction he received from the premier to provide regulatory benefits to Bezeq.
Filber, planned to testify against his benefactor Netanyahu, demanded during negotiations that he not be sentenced to any actual jail time—a demand that was likely approved.
A senior coalition source said Wednesday that Filber’s signing of a ‘state’ witness deal marked the beginning to the end. “If he signed, then the jig is up,” the source said. “Now there are two options: either Bibi will call elections, or will cut a deal saying he’ll step down in return for closing all the cases.”
Source: Israeli media
