Police Recommend Charging Three Members of Balad Party With Fraud

Jerusalem, 23 January, 2018 (TPS) -- Israel Police have recommended charging three members of the Balad Party with on a series of corruption charges including fraud and money laundering, police said Tuesday.

Police said they had found enough evidence to indict MKs Hanin Zoabi, Jamal Zahalka, and Juma Azbarga   regarding offenses to 2013 and 2015 election expenses. Police recommendations have sent for review t to the State Prosecutor for a final decision.

Balad holds three Knesset seats as part of the Joint List Party, the third largest party in the Knesset as a conglomerate of three Arab-majority parties (the others are Ra’am Tal, headed by MK Ahmad Tibi, and Hadash, headed by faction chairman Ayman Odeh). Together, the list holds 13 of the 120 seats in parliament.

In a statement, the Israel Police said they had conducted extensive investigations into party, including interrogations of a large number of suspects, including some under caution.

The investigation was conducted jointly by the National Fraud Unit Lahav 433, and by the Economic Department of the State Attorney’s Office, which deals with reports submitted to the State Comptroller by the party regarding donations prior to the 2013 elections and with respect to reports on expenditures in the 2015 elections.

The investigating unit believes that party officials raised cash donations without submitting the required paperwork signed by the donors, as required by law when dealing with cash contributions.

When asked by the State Comptroller’s Office, the forms were filled retroactively.

Balad rejected the accusations  and described the police behavior as “a dangerous escalation of the political persecution of the Arab leadership.

“They are trying to balance recommendations regarding Netanyahu.” the party said in a statement. “We are  confident that the suspicions will turn out to be baseless at the end of the day.”

The police also questioned former Balad MK Basel Ghattas, who is currently  in prison serving a two-year sentence for using his parliamentary immunity to smuggle mobile phones to Palestinian security prisoners.