Former and reinstated Foreign Minister and MK Avigdor Lieberman finally had his long anticipated trial after over a decade and a half of legal wrangling and was found not guilty and was acquitted of all charges. There was more evidence that the entire legal persecution of Minister Lieberman was perpetrated largely for political reasons than simply the opposing political stance of the Prosecutors Office. The bringing of charges almost always were timed to coincide either with elections or during the politically charged and delicate periods immediately after an election while a coalition was being formed and ministerial positions were up for consideration and appointments. By placing MK Lieberman under charges and pending a trial at the completion of further investigations, the prosecutors placed him in a politically damaged position. Then, after a period of months, the charges were most often dropped while further investigations were being pursued and after any potential for damaging MK Lieberman’s political opportunities had passed. The one other item of not was that very often one of the charges was political turpitude which carries with it a period of suspension from holding political office.
Finally, these charges of bribery and influence peddling often pertaining to MK Lieberman’s recommendation of a particular ambassador for a new ambassadorship who it was claimed had had improper dealings with MK Liebermann which should have prevented such a recommendation from ever being considered as doing so would lead to suspicions as evidenced by the over decade and a half investigation into the affair. One would suspect if there existed any solid evidence which would have proven improper acts by either party that Lieberman would have been put on trial and likely convicted in a far shorter period of time. Taking over a decade and a half to investigate one individual’s actions over an appointment to an ambassadorial position would tend to indicate that any attempts after such an overly lengthy investigation to bring Lieberman to trial and then failing to convict would actually be more damning on the prosecutorial side than it would reflect any further suspicions of Liebermann.
Is Liebermann squeaky clean and completely above any suspicions? Very likely not but if evidence cannot be gathered in a more timely manner, the case grows cold and becomes ever more difficult to prove and result in conviction. That alone may be a large part for the not guilty verdict. Still, there would appear to be more to investigate of the prosecutors as they wasted time, funds, resources and the respect of their officers for which one would be led to believe that somebody needs to be held accountable. Should it necessarily be Attorney General Weinstein who is investigated is for a court to decide. The one thing that the people of Israel should be assured of is that any investigation into why this entire circus took place and wasted so much of the government’s time will use time more efficiently than Attorney General Weinstein’s office managed in prosecuting, or should we say persecuting, Foreign Minister Lieberman.
Beyond the Cusp
Beyond the Cusp 