FM LIEBERMAN INDICTMENT ON HOLD, FOR NOW

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 000310

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2020
TAGS: PREL PGOV IS
SUBJECT: FM LIEBERMAN INDICTMENT ON HOLD, FOR NOW

REF: 09 TEL AVIV 1838 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: DCM Luis G. Moreno, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (SBU) Despite the formal recommendation by the Israeli
National Police on August 2, 2009 that then-Attorney General
Menachem Mazuz indict Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on
bribery, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and other
charges, Mazuz left office January 28 without filing an
indictment. Mazuz has been replaced as Attorney General by
Yehuda Weinstein, a prominent criminal defense lawyer.
Weinstein is generally considered to be an honest litigator,
but his sole expertise lies in criminal defense, and his
appointment as Attorney General therefore came as a surprise
to many.


2. (C) Ari Shavit, a prominent Israeli journalist for the
newspaper Ha'aretz and an ardent supporter of Mazuz's efforts
to root out corruption among Israel's political leaders,
conducted an exclusive interview with Mazuz just prior to his
departure from office. Shavit told PolCouns that Mazuz had
been close to wrapping up the investigation into the
allegations against Lieberman and had planned to indict but
had simply run out of time. Shavit thought that Mazuz had
"arranged it" so that Yehuda Weinstein would have to first
review the file but then make the Lieberman case his top
priority. Shavit predicted that Weinstein would likely be
able to complete his review of the Lieberman investigation
within about six months, at the end of which Weinstein would
issue an indictment of Lieberman.


3. (C) Comment: Israeli pundits began predicting a criminal
indictment of Lieberman and Lieberman's resignation as
Foreign Minister almost as soon as Lieberman assumed his
current post. Lieberman's conduct as Foreign Minister
continues to attract sharp criticism from the Israeli
establishment, with the latest round touched off by
Lieberman's public remarks last week about war with Syria,
but Lieberman shows no sign of planning to step down. In an
interview that Lieberman gave last September, shortly after
the police recommended his indictment, he mused about having
achieved his political goals and therefore being ready to
leave office. In contrast, after the furor over his Syria
remarks last week, Lieberman (in characteristic style) called
his critics "losers" and insisted that he would carry out all
of his campaign promises.
Cunningham