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"To prevent embarrassment in the system": The outgoing deputy head of DIP sued Shai Nitzan and the Ministry of Justice | Israel Today

2021-11-29T11:12:16.083Z


Moshe Saada claimed in the lawsuit that the state attorney applied undue pressure to ensure industrial silence in the wake of the investigations against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu • The lawsuit also included DIP chief Keren Ben Menachem , Disrupting investigation in Umm al-Hiran case • Last month, the State Attorney informed Saada that he would be fired


Due to allegations of abuse of him in various ways, the outgoing deputy head of DIP, Moshe Saada, filed a lawsuit today (Monday) against the Ministry of Justice, DIP director, Adv. Keren Ben Menachem, and former state attorney, Shai Nitzan, for half a million shekels.

In addition, Saada accuses former police commissioner Roni Alshikh of "disrupting the investigation" of the Umm al-Hiran affair and of the backing given by the attorney general and the state attorney to Alshikh in order not to harm the investigations that were taking place at the time against former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

As you may recall, State Attorney Amit Isman informed the restaurant last month that he would be fired subject to a hearing due to "incompatibility."

According to the lawsuit, during the years 2017-2015, many police officers were interrogated in the DIP, including several officers. In the case of Chief of Police Nissim Moore, (retired) Hagai Dotan.

This, as part of the investigation of the Rittman case (among other things, in relation to his investigation as a witness of the then Commissioner Danino) and the investigation of Adv. Ronel Fischer and Adv. Ruth David, and in other cases. 

"These are improper pressures whose purpose was to prevent as much embarrassment as possible in the police and the system," the lawsuit said.

In the face of those improper pressures, the lawsuit alleges, the DIP management at the time stood "as a wall in a way to prevent foreign influence in those investigations and ensure equality before the law."

Saada accuses that Nitzan's conduct "caused in some cases a real miscarriage of justice," all this, against the background of the desire to please Alsheikh against the background of Netanyahu's investigations.

As stated, the lawsuit concerns, among other things, the case of retired superintendent Roni Ritman, former head of Lahav 433. As mentioned, in late 2015 a criminal investigation was conducted against him following information about a suspicion of sexual harassment and attempted indecent assault on an officer who served under him. 

Shai Nitzan,

DIP, it was argued, found that there was a reasonable chance of convicting Rittman of attempted indecent assault and sexual harassment, and her recommendation to file an indictment against him was forwarded to the Attorney General, the State Attorney and the Police Disciplinary Department. But there was a clear reluctance on the part of Shai Nitzan and the then ombudsman, Yehuda Weinstein, to accept DIP's recommendation.

According to Saada, the continuation of Rittman's tenure in his position seems unreasonable and the professional assessment was that the more he retires, the more it will reduce the intensity of the public interest involved in the need to prosecute him in criminal proceedings.

According to him, he and the director of the previous DIP were shocked to discover through advertising in the media that without sharing the spokesman's intention, it was decided on the recommendation of Shai Nitzan to close the case.

In the lawsuit, Saada claims that Rittman often visited the State Attorney's Office at the time, and even more so in the face of the investigation into the "dormitory case" and the cases of then-Prime Minister Netanyahu.

This is when at the same time the criminal investigation conducted by DIP was opened against him.

"Rittman's attorneys at the time sent letters to the Attorney General's Office claiming without any basis that the person behind the complainant against Rittman were unknown elements seeking to sabotage the prime minister's investigation," Saada claimed in the lawsuit.

"It is clear that the pressure had an effect, since the decision in the Rittman case, which was made contrary to the top position of the DIP, was a clear deviation from the policy."

Retired Superintendent Rittman, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon

It was also written that "on Saturday, Ritman stood for his position as senior commander of the injured officer and of the police officers who supported her version, and of thousands of other police officers, went into a perversion and sent a serious message regarding the fate of police complainants."

Saada accuses that "Ritman's return to the position of head of the police investigation and intelligence division, as one of the senior deputies serving in it and whispering in the commissioner's ear, did not bode well for the continued vital cooperation between the Israel Police and DIP."

The Umm al-Hiran affair

The lawsuit also deals with the Umm al-Hiran affair that took place on January 18, 2017, in which Yaakov Abu Alqian was killed by police, and the late policeman Erez Levy was also killed as a result of the vehicle of the late Alqian.

Saada describes how very early after the incident, Commissioner Alsheikh declared to the media that it was an "ISIS-sponsored nationalist terrorist incident", which was neutralized by the police, and that shortly afterwards, a police spokeswoman on her own initiative distributed the video of the incident taken by helicopter. My police, from which many question marks arose in relation to what was happening and in relation to the then commissioner's claim that this was a "terrorist attack".

"From an early stage it was clear that instead of allowing the investigation to be conducted effectively and ensure full police cooperation with DIP investigators, the commissioner seeks to adhere to his position and stand as a wall behind unfounded things based on an initial report by his police officers, who chose to say at the police officer's funeral." In the lawsuit.

He added that "to say the least, the police and its leader did not cooperate with the DIP investigation into the incident.

"Their unusual conduct was detailed in a DIP opinion on the matter submitted to the then State Attorney. During the investigation, DIP was pressured by Alshikh and the investigation was even disrupted by Alshikh himself."

Former Commissioner Alsheikh, Photo: Coco

"Enter the restaurant"

According to Saada, the climax was when the then assistant commissioner, Lt. Col. Ofer Shomer, inadvertently sent him a message sent to him, apparently from the then commissioner, in which the latter instructed him: "Enter the restaurant."

In addition, Saada claims that he was accused by Al-Shikh's aide of conducting the investigation into the Umm al-Hiran incident, "harming the commissioner and the State of Israel," and that he is "not a patriot."

Saada also claimed that Alshikh tried in real time to deter him and DIP from investigating the police. Deputy Director of the Department.

"He even claimed to the then director of the department that as far as his opinion was being asked, he would recommend dismantling the DIP and rebuilding it," it read.

According to the lawsuit, "DIP's director at the time made it clear to Alsheikh that his blunt style and threatening language in which he adopted the need for 'DIP' ".

As mentioned, Saada accuses that "Commissioner Al-Shikh disrupted the Umm al-Hiran investigation while during a police briefing that month regarding the cases of former Prime Minister Netanyahu, he also chose to brief on the incident in Umm al-Hiran, which was at the beginning of the investigation. And an investigation. " 

"In this briefing, the commissioner, intentionally or with gross negligence, revealed sensitive and clever details from the police version, which were under investigation at the time," it said. "Against this background, the lawsuit alleges that a meeting was convened with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit during the former prime minister's interrogation.

Umm al-Hiran, Photo: Yehuda Peretz

"During this meeting," it was written, "the DIP manager frontally confronted the then commissioner and his assistant with the threatening message sent to the prosecutor. ) In the plaintiff in blunt language, insults and shouting, all under the auspices of Commissioner Alsheikh, who sought to turn the bowl upside down, and took advantage of the commotion in the yeshiva to demand at the same time to dismantle the DIP into its components.

"The message received at the end of this meeting was clear and sharp - the relationship between the State Attorney's Office and the police is prior and no backing will be given to DIP.

All this, against the background of the desire to join hands and ensure cooperation in the system against the background of Netanyahu's portfolios. "

Saada adds that Commissioner Al-Shikh, who was interested in investigating the Umm al-Hiran affair and repeatedly put himself in a clear personal and institutional conflict of interest, saw himself free to act actively to try to intimidate the prosecutor and push for the dissolution of DIP, or any At least in the first stage, try to tattoo her status and try to deter the best of her people.

"As stated, at that time the relationship between Commissioner Alsheikh and the then State Attorney and the ombudsman was sensitive.

These were the heyday of the investigations of the then Prime Minister, Netanyahu, and in any case the cooperation required by all parties to advance the investigations of the Prime Minister that were at the heart of the public debate, was essential for all law enforcement agencies.

"Therefore, Commissioner Alsheikh at that time enjoyed a stronger-than-usual status among senior state prosecutors."

Comments from those involved will be submitted when received.

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Source: israelhayom

All news articles on 2021-11-29

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