Israel Matzav

But of course: Labor to 'investigate' Barak

You had to know this was coming.

A week after Defense Minister Ehud Barak's departure from Labor, party officials announced plans over the weekend to probe whether he had committed or was aware of any corruption that took place in the party when he led it.

New Labor faction chairman Eitan Cabel said he would examine charges raised in Yediot Aharonot on Friday about the way Barak's longtime ally Weizmann Shiri handled the party's finances when he was its director-general.

"We will check the veracity of that report and various questions related to the party's financial situation," Cabel said.

Labor spokesman Danny Borowitz told the newspaper's Nahum Barnea that he heard many stories of corruption in the party. The newspaper printed a text message from Shiri to another party official that appeared to be incriminating evidence. Shiri and the party activist he wrote gave the newspaper contradictory explanations.

Borowitz told the newspaper that the incident had persuaded him that he was working for corrupt people. Shiri said he had nothing to hide. He called on Borowitz to fill a complaint with police.

The bad part about this is that since the political parties here are publicly financed, that's taxpayer money that will be wasted on this nonsense.

Labels: Ehud Barak, Eitan Cabel, Labor party, Weizman Shiri

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:42 PM