The State Prosecutor's Office decided not to open a criminal investigation against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the disappearance of gifts he received from state officials in his capacity.
For example, valuable gifts from the President of the United States, the President of Russia, the Chancellor of Germany, the President of France, and the Pope, which by law he had to leave in the possession of the State. Since the Prime Minister's Office did not make proper documentation of the gifts, it is impossible to trace their presence and the reason for their disappearance.
No investigation has been launched. State Prosecutor Amit Isman (archive), photo: Gideon Markowitz
The decision of the State Prosecutor's Office, which was first published by Amotz Shapira on Kan Reshet Bet, stated that "the fact that no gifts were found after they were used for display does not in itself necessarily indicate a suspicion that a criminal offense has been committed. In any case, the existing evidentiary infrastructure at this time does not establish reasonable suspicion justifying opening an examination or criminal investigation, and the investigation expectancy is low."
The decision was made by State Prosecutor Amit Isman, who added that "there is a considerable probability, and certainly cannot be ruled out, that gifts that were not returned were broken or lost, including while packing and storing the belongings in the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, in light of renovations carried out in the office during the relevant period and the packing of the belongings at the Prime Minister's residence in Balfour at the end of his term."
Isman added that the alleged possibility that the gifts were accessible to various parties who came to the facilities where they were displayed was considered.
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