Tel Aviv:Israeli police have advised against initiating a criminal investigation into funds transferred from Qatar and other countries during the election campaign. The decision comes unless the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) provides additional substantial evidence.
According to Maan News Agency, the Israeli newspaper Maariv disclosed that police reviewed materials referred by the Shin Bet to the investigations and intelligence department. The examination concluded that there was insufficient evidence to warrant a criminal investigation into serious offenses at this stage.
Senior officials within the Lahav 433 unit assessed the submitted materials before passing them to Boaz Balat, head of the police investigations and intelligence department. Their professional opinion, returned to the Shin Bet, indicated that the current data suggested only a preliminary suspicion of a minor offense concerning party financing. This suspicion is considered unlikely to justify launching a criminal investigation.
Information obtained by Maariv reveals that the Shin Bet intends to present its findings, along with the police's opinion and its own evaluation, to Attorney General Gali Baharov-Meara. The Attorney General will then determine whether there is a basis to open a criminal investigation or to close the case.