What did the company do, how did it establish contact with the police and conduct it, what information was hidden and who finally prevented the agreement between the company and the police, despite the conclusion • An embarrassed teacher for a case that could complicate Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz and MK Ram Ben Barak

• Benny Gantz // Photo: Coco

• Ram Ben Barak // Photo: Gideon Markowitz

• Benny Gantz and Ronnie Alshich // Photo: Ancho Ghosh-Ginny

The Prosecutor's Office's announcement yesterday (Thursday) about opening a criminal investigation into the Fifth Dimension affair even before the elections brought the political system into circulation. How did the case actually start and what would the police need to check?

Last March, the State Comptroller released a report examining police procurement procedures. According to the report, outgoing Commissioner Roni Alshich promoted a no-bid deal with the "fifth dimension" headed by Blue and White party chairman Benny Gantz and Ram Ben Barak Deputy Head of the former institution, which is competing on the list for "There is a Future".

"The Fifth Dimension" was a cyber company that developed artificial intelligence systems for data processing in the field of intelligence and closed in December 2018. According to the auditor, after the degree of suitability of the cyber system was tested, the police exchanged drafts with the company for a contract worth about NIS 50 million, This is in contrast to the mandatory tender regulations and without letting other technology companies compete with the project.

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The prosecution has decided: a criminal investigation into the fifth dimension case

Gantz on the Fifth Dimension affair: "It's obviously political pressure"

According to the Comptroller, in August 2016, Elshikh held a discussion on the issue with the participation of senior representatives from the company, where, among other things, the course of contact with the company was also discussed. The auditor also states that in October 2016, the Tender Committee classified and approved the contract to execute a pilot in the amount of NIS 4 million with an operational exemption on the grounds that it was an operational procurement, which conducted a tender, which could impair the police's working methods and operational capabilities.

It is also alleged that in the second half of 2017, the pilot was carried out by the police and for the purpose of carrying it out, the police purchased hardware worth NIS 1.5 million. The critic blames the police technology director for not telling the truth in writing an opinion on the company. The opinion presented to the Tender Committee states that the company has been in existence for four years and has about five clients, security bodies. The product states that it has been "on the shelf for a year and a half".

However, the auditor states that the opinion was written based on data provided by the company to the police. According to the Comptroller, in November 2017, the Minister of Public Security ordered a thorough investigation into the matter and a report published by the Chief Scientist in his office revealed that the company had been established three years before and had not made any sales or installation prior to contacting the police. "The factual infrastructure presented by the Technology Director to the Tender Committee when making its decision Making an exemption worth NIS 4 million from the company and according to which it has customers who are security entities and that the company has been in existence for 4 years - is incorrect, "the auditor said.

According to him, the facts that no entity has purchased the system from the company and, in any case, it does not have five customers defined as security entities - are significant facts for making a decision on procurement exemption. In September 2017, after police believe the pilot had ended successfully, the former chief of staff continued to promote procurement from the company, but this was curbed by the Treasury. The Fifth Dimension Investigation Unit will conduct a 433 Blade Fraud Investigation Unit.