Does the enforcement system terrorize elected officials? In a particularly transparent timing - immediately upon appointment as Chairman of the Finance Committee - Knesset Member Hanoch Milvitsky The Likud member was summoned this morning (Friday) for questioning at Lahav Unit 433, on suspicion of obstruction of justice and suspicion of serious crimes.
The police said after the investigation: "The National Fraud Investigation Unit (NFIU) at Lahav 433 summoned and questioned a sitting Knesset member today and detained two others for questioning.
"The investigation into the suspects was on suspicion of committing offenses related to obstruction of justice. The MK alone was also investigated on suspicion of sexual offenses. Upon completion of the investigation of the suspects, they were released, two of them on conditions.
"The investigation into the matter is ongoing and, at the conclusion, the case will be forwarded to the Attorney General's Office for review and decision."
This is an investigation into an incident that allegedly occurred 11 years ago.
The MK's office issued a harsh response: "The persecution and hunting campaign against right-wing elected officials continues at a mad pace. MK Hanoch Milbitsky was summoned for questioning without being given any reason or details of the case - and he appeared immediately."
MK Milbitsky himself said: "The political persecution has crossed all boundaries. The Ombudsman and the system she heads continue to trample on democracy and destroy public trust. I will not be afraid. I will continue to work for the goals of the right and the entire people."
Adv. Ephraim Dimri He later responded on behalf of Milvitsky: "The issues presented to MK Milvitsky are over a decade old and even when they were raised, they did not even reach the point of a police investigation. The Attorney General's decision to summon him for questioning two days after the announcement of his appointment as chairman of the Finance Committee is not accidental and raises many questions regarding the good faith in summoning him for questioning."
"MK Mlivetsky denies all suspicions against him, is cooperating fully with his investigators. This is a political investigation aimed at preventing MK Mlivetsky from becoming chairman of the Finance Committee."
The legal commentator Avishai Greenzig He noted that the police's request to the Attorney General to investigate the MK was about two years ago.
Media person Yaki Adamkar He responded: "Without determining the suspicion itself, the incident for which MK Milbitsky was summoned for questioning was published in September 2022 and occurred even earlier. Why was he summoned for questioning only now, almost 3 years later? Is it related to the fact that this week he was appointed chairman of the Finance Committee? Did someone accelerate the investigation for political reasons? At the prosecutor's office? At the police?"
He added cynically: "In our Israel? That can't be."
The investigation focuses on the complaint of K., a former content consultant who worked with businessmen and politicians, including Milbitsky himself before he entered politics. According to her, a meeting at her home ended in an assault.
The police stated before the investigation: "The National Fraud Investigation Unit (NFIU) at Lahav 433 today summoned a sitting Knesset member and detained two others for investigation on suspicion of obstruction of justice offenses, which were allegedly committed before his election to the Knesset."
"The investigation at the IHA began in 2022, and once reasonable suspicion is established, he is summoned for investigation with a warning in order to clarify the facts, all with the approval of the Attorney General and the State Attorney."
Police sources told Channel 14 that this is an investigation that began in 2022, during the time when he was an attorney general at the Kabbalah for the People association. According to the same sources, it was claimed at the time that there were violations there. MK Malvitsky is suspected of being an attorney general – acting to brief a witness who would lie in court – and that this is the main suspicion against him.
The police commented on publications about serious offenses, saying that "there is a suspicion that is still being examined, but that is not the issue at the moment, despite the publications in various media outlets."
MK Hanoch Milbitsky responded to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request this week and will serve as temporary chairman of the Finance Committee in place of MK Moshe Gafni.
Yesterday, the outgoing chairman of the Finance Committee already held MK Moshe Gafni and the incoming Finance Committee Chairman held an overlapping meeting. The meeting dealt entirely with socio-economic issues.
Milwatski was one of the candidates for the position of chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, replacing MK Yuli Edelstein, but after being appointed to the Finance Committee, he withdrew from the race.
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