With the approval of the State Prosecutor's Office, the investigation into the case of the company headed by Benny Gantz will be transferred from the police to the Antitrust Authority • The PM and the defense minister are not considered suspect at any stage

• Gantz (right) and former Chief of Staff Ronnie Alshich

  Photo: 

  Jonathan Zindel / Flash 90

An investigation into the "Fifth Dimension" affair was made available to the Antitrust Authority by the police, with the approval of the prosecutor's office. With the order to open an investigation, Blade 433 began to collect material relating to the affair. 

But then it turned out that during the negotiations with the Fifth Dimension, headed by Replaced Prime Minister Benny Gantz, who chaired the company, and its president was senior MK Ben-Barak, on behalf of "Blue and White" - the police allowed the company's members access to a database The police are sensitive, this as part of a pilot to test the company's capabilities. It is important to note that Gantz was not suspected at any point in any offense or even questioned.

Likud demands: criminal investigation into the fifth dimension case // Photo Archive: Moshe Ben Simhon

The latest was to provide the police with artificial intelligence on investigations and investigations in the amount of NIS 4 million paid to the company.

In the event of the pilot's success, the police committed to a full purchase of the system in the amount of NIS 50 million. In October 2016, the Police Tender Commission decided to approve the pilot with an exemption, and it was carried out in the second half of 2017.

It should be emphasized that the engine behind the deal was former Chief of Police Ronnie Alshich. On August 30, 2016, a discussion was held on the connection between the police and the fifth dimension, which was attended by Elshikh and other senior police officers, together with company chairman Bani Gantz and CEO Doron Cohen. 

The discussion dealt with "substantive issues" such as the form of attachment, the exemption regulations and the integration of the police system, and in conclusion I will instruct you to make the contract with a tender exemption. The State Comptroller has ruled in this hearing that "there is no reason for the defect" to be attended by the company's representatives as part of a professional discussion which we discussed in the course of contact with her.

More on the subject

The fifth dimension affair: Gantz, the meeting with the commissioner and the question marks

Gantz's Mysterious Society and Fifth Dimension Management

The Prosecutor's Office decided: a criminal investigation into the fifth dimension case

According to the report, Elshich was the one who instructed the Police Technology Manager to conduct a system adjustment check and subsequently negotiate with the company for a two-stage contract with a tender exemption. The decision to award the company a tender exemption relied on the opinion of the police technology director, who presented business information about the fifth dimension on the basis of data that the company itself provided and, according to the auditor, turned out to be false. 

The visitor's findings lay in the drawer for about a year and a half. In February of this year, Attorney Dan Eldad, a former State Attorney, decided to open a criminal investigation into the fifth dimension. The investigation was carried out on Blade 433, which was to be used as necessary in the Police Investigation Department. 

The decision to launch a police criminal investigation was also criticized within the State Attorney's Office at the time, and there were those who hinted that it was a political and unprofessional decision since two weeks later elections were held. At the same time, the police began collecting materials, but then, according to sources involved in the case, a question of conflict of interest and appearance arose, as the core of the investigation is supposed to deal with sensitive and sensitive details. It is known that Lahav leaders 433 and the Office of Investigations and Intelligence recently contacted the Prosecutor's Office and announced that they could not investigate the case - and this was answered. 

The Antitrust Authority carries out administrative enforcement, in accordance with its powers under the Antitrust Law. It has the power to determine that the activities of a particular business entity constitute a monopoly, and that cooperation between two or more business entities constitutes a restrictive arrangement that harms competition.

In this regard, the Comptroller stated that "the Israel Police acted inequality between the Fifth Dimension and other technology companies that might meet the defined criteria by not announcing its intention to make tens of millions of shekels in 2017-2018, as stated in the Police Work Plan, and not It has allowed them to demonstrate their capabilities in this area, so that they can compete in the fifth dimension.