The indictment that attributed fraud and breach of trust to former Bezek and Yes executives, one of which is involved in Netanyahu’s case 4000, has been dropped by court.
The indictment against former Bezek VP Amikam Shorer, former company secretary Linoy Yochelman and son of owner Or Elovich has been dropped from the “Bezek” case in which former Bezek and Yes executives are on trial, the Tel Aviv District Court decided on Wednesday morning. Also dropped were some of the charges against Shaul Elovich himself.
Judge Agmon Gonen accepted allegations made by some of the defendants, including Shaul Alovich who was accused in case 4000 of bribing former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and decided to drop the charges against three senior members of the company, and against the companies accused in two of the indictments. As for Elovich, as stated, some of the charges were dropped.
In December 2020, the State Attorney’s Office for Taxation and Economics filed an indictment in the Tel Aviv District Court against Shaul Alovich, who was the controlling shareholder in Bezek and chairman of the company’s board, as well as against senior officials in the group and in Yes, in addition to several companies from the Eurocom group that was controlled by Elovich.
The indictment attributes to the defendants’ offenses of fraud and breach of trust in the corporation, and reporting offenses under the Securities Law, and relates to two cases: fraud in relation to the payment of consideration for the purchase of yes shares by Bezek Transactions of the company in which the controlling shareholder Elovich had a personal interest.
“I welcome the verdict. The court accepted all our claims and dismissed the charges against Amikam Schorer. After years, Amikam will finally be able to put the matter behind him, and continue to contribute his talents,” Attorney Yaron Kostelitz, who represented Schorer, said.
Elovich’s lawyer, Jacques Chen, who also represents him in the 4000 case, refused to comment.
Case 4000
During the public corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, former top aide turned state’s witness Shlomo Filber testified that the former prime minister gave him the order to do what Bezeq and Walla owner Shaul Elovitch wanted on several issues.
Filber specifically told the Jerusalem District Court that the Bezeq-YES merger, issues of pricing reforms, and other telecommunications-related reforms to increase competition were matters Netanyahu mentioned to him in the key meeting that brought the case forward.
As Filber continued his six hours on the stand, he made several statements diluting some of his accusations against Netanyahu, which the defense may later try to use to obtain an acquittal.
Netanyahu mostly did not show emotion, remaining cross-legged, but occasionally having his son Avner pass notes to his lawyers, and smirking when Filber slammed the police.
The former top Netanyahu aide testified about the key meeting at the heart of the media bribery allegations in Case 4000, the Bezeq-Walla Affair, saying the then prime minister gave him three orders regarding satisfying Elovitch.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.