Israel Matzav

Omri is the Tip of the Iceberg of Sharon Family Corruption

It appears from news accounts today that Omri Sharon may be the tip of the iceberg of his family's corruption. Arutz Sheva reports today that a former State prosecutor - who was fired for leaking documents relating to the Sharon scandals - claims that the State prosecutor's office was ordered by then-Attorney General and current Supreme Court justice Elyakim Rubinstein "not to touch" the Sharon family. And both Arutz Sheva and the Jerusalem Post report on an interview with Ariel Sharon's former advisor David Spector, who claims that law enforcement agencies are continuing to 'retain evidence' and not to use it.

Here's the Arutz Sheva story:

Former Prosecutor Leora Glatt-Berkowitz said last night that in 2003, then-Atty.-Gen. Rubenstein requested that Justice Ministry officials "not touch the Sharon family."

Glatt-Berkowitz, a former senior official in the Tel Aviv District Prosecution office, spoke with Channel Two interviewer Nissim Mishal last night. She said that before the national elections in 2003, then-Attorney General Elyakim Rubenstein - now a Supreme Court Justice - convened the top brass of the Justice Ministry and asked them "not to touch the Sharon family."

The Sharons, especially Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, were the subjects at the time of more than one criminal investigation, including the Cyril Kern and Greek Island affairs.

Rubenstein, in keeping with his judicial position, did not respond publicly to Glatt-Berkowitz's claims. His aides, however, denied the charges, saying that she is apparently still upset at Rubenstein for his decision to indict her in June 2003. Glatt-Berkowitz was convicted last year of having leaked information - in the middle of the 2003 election campaign - about the $1.5 million loan to Sharon and/or his sons by his friend Cyril Kern. She explained at the time that she did it for ideological reasons, in order that Sharon not be elected.

Glatt-Berkowitz's allegations are not the only ones to surface of late against the lazy manner in which the criminal investigations against the Sharons were handled. David Spektor, for instance, who was a media advisor to Ariel Sharon during the latter's bid to become head of the Likud in place of Binyamin Netanyahu in 1999, has a host of accusations. He told Army Radio this morning that Omri Sharon's conviction of campaign funding violations is only a small part of the crimes he and his family committed - and that are being covered up by the judicial and political establishment.

Read the whole thing.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:32 PM