‘Israeli’ Submarine Scandal Continues: Army Officers to Be Questioned
Local Editor
As the ‘Israeli' submarine scandal escalates, the Zionist Police are preparing to broaden their investigation by summoning for questioning officers now serving in the navy.
According to Haaretz, Michael Ganor, the ‘Israeli' representative of German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp, who is suspected of bribery and money-laundering, gave the police additional information connected with other arms deals signed in recent years. To explore the new information, the probe will have to expand the pool of suspects and witnesses it has reached so far. Currently serving naval officers, or those who have recently retired from active duty, are to be called for questioning, and some apparently will be investigated.
Preparations are reportedly underway by the military advocate general, Brig. Gen. Sharon Afek, to expand the investigation, although Afek so far has not officially been informed that there are officers to be summoned.
The Zionist police can investigate the matter independently, but in most cases where officers are to be questioned, especially senior officers, the military advocate general, as well as the Military Police, are also informed. A number of officers have already reportedly met with attorneys ahead of possible questioning.
On Tuesday, police questioned the former head of security in the War Ministry, Amos Gilad, who served at his post for 13 years and only recently retired, at the Lahav 433 investigations headquarters in Lod. He played a major role in all procurement deals and in formulating an opinion on the impact of the deals on the region.
Apparently Gilad's testimony focused on the approval of the sale of the submarines from ThyssenKrupp to Egypt. It has been reported that Gilad, along with former War Minister Moshe Ya'alon, opposed the sale of the more advanced version of the sub to the Egyptian navy. A security source said that when Gilad heard about the approval of the sale to Egypt during a visit to Germany, "his jaw dropped."
Meanwhile, an official in the National Security Council said Tuesday that the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the sale had been postponed indefinitely. The postponement was based on a clause in the memorandum that if corruption was discovered in the deal, it would be cancelled.
For his part, ThyssenKrupp declined Tuesday to discuss this aspect and would only say that these were agreements between Germany and the occupation government.
The purchase, which was to have replaced three older submarines with new ones, was to have been implemented only in another 10 years, and so on the face of things a postponement by a number of weeks has no real security implications.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates, including one of the suspects in the affair, Avriel Bar-Yosef, said it was important to sign the agreement during the government's term.
Source: Haaretz, Edited by website team
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