I will address the question of the "purpose" of the transfer of the funds from the defendants' point of view, but it can be determined already here, as a point of departure supported by the evidence and agreed upon by the parties, that Ben-Eliezer was the one who asked for various sums of money from defendants 2 and 3 several months after he was released from the hospital, requests that he explained to the defendants as stemming from his health condition and his desire to move to an apartment that suited his difficulties and needs.
First indictment (attributed to the defendant 2)
The main points of the indictment
Those Involved in the Indictment
- Four central figures inhabit the indictment in the case of Defendant 2:
Ben-Eliezer - Served as an elected official since the 1980s, as a member of the Knesset and held a variety of ministerial positions in various Israeli governments. From 2007 to 2014, Ben-Eliezer served as a member of the Knesset. From May 4, 2006 to March 13, 2009, he served as Minister of Infrastructures, and from March 31, 2009 to January 19, 2011, he served as Minister of Industry, Industry, and Labor. There was no dispute, as stated, that in each of his positions Ben-Eliezer was a public servant.
Ayelet Azoulay - She worked under Ben-Eliezer in his various positions since 1992, as a secretary, assistant, office manager and parliamentary advisor.
Jacky Ben-Zaken - A businessman engaged in the field of energy and real estate in Israel and abroad. In the past (in the 1990s), Ben-Eliezer was active in the Labor Party, a personal connection that he maintained over the years. Ben-Zaken knew Azoulay from his days as a political activist, and continued to be in contact with her over the years. Beyond the occupation and connections described above, Ben-Zaken was a partner of Defendant 2 in a number of companies in Israel, including "Israel Financial Levers Ltd." (hereinafter: Cranes) and "Oil and Gas Resources Oil Ltd" (hereinafter – Oil).
The Defendant - Ben-Zaken's partner in Manofim and Shemen, and who, according to the indictment, knew Ben-Eliezer, at first in an official framework, but later the relationship allegedly turned into a friendship combined with mutual economic interests.