Case 3000: Cases Advanced Against Some Netanyahu Aides, Closed for Others

The Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday that it was closing the cases against Adv. David Shimron and former Navy Commander Maj. Gen. Eliezer Marom who were suspected in a corruption case that involved receiving bribes, money laundering, tax evasion and fraud.

The case, dubbed Case 3000, alleges that senior Israeli officials received bribes in exchange for their promotion of the acquisition of a Dolphin-class submarine for Israel’s Navy from German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp.

Officials close to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu are suspected of using their ties to promote the deal, against the objections of Israel’s defense establishment and against the essential needs of the country.

ThyssenKrupp has been accused of bribing officials around the world to promote sales of its submarines.

The prosecution filed indictments in the Tel Aviv District Court against Miki Ganor, who served as an agent for the ThyssenKrupp Corporation in Israel, and against the former deputy head of the National Security Council, Aviel Bar-Yosef.

An indictment was also filed against the former director of the Prime Minister’s Office, David Sharan, former chairman of Keren Hayesod Eliezer Zandberg, businessman Shai Brosh, political adviser Rami Tayeb, and media adviser Yitzchak Lieber.

Ganor is charged with a series of offenses including bribery, money laundering and various tax offenses. Bar-Yosef is charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Brosh is charged with requesting bribes, receiving bribes, money laundering and assistance with tax offenses. Sharan is charged with taking bribes, breach of trust and money laundering. Zandberg is accused of bribery, money laundering, fraud and breach of trust and tax offenses. Tayeb is accused of mediating bribery, money laundering and assisting with tax offenses. Lieber is accused of mediating bribery, money laundering and aiding and abetting tax offenses.

Four Ganor-owned companies are also charged with tax offenses.

Ganor, who stood at the nexus of the corruption case, had initially signed on to become a state witness in the case, but later backed out of the agreement, leaving him open to severe charges from state prosecutors.

Despite the indictment of several close associates of Netanyahu, the Prime Minister is not suspected of any wrongdoing in the case and has been cleared by the relevant authorities.