Defendant 1's involvement in the transactions described in Charges 9-14 is limited to brokering for financing entities, and sometimes also mediating for adoptive parties. The defendant claims that he was supposed to receive commissions for various services he rendered and refunds of payments he financed, and nothing more.
The customers, who were interested in financing goods and financing costs and release expenses, were referred to the defendant by Shlomo Metuk.
With regard to Charges 9 and 10, Defendant 1 claimed that the person who contacted the supplier, Rasco from Hong Kong, was an Arab businessman named Karim Bakir, and that he ordered radiotape and DVD products through a company he owns (Mand Electric). The defense argues, in this context, that the prosecution did not summon the supplier Rasco or a representative on his behalf to testify, and therefore an evidentiary presumption arose according to which the supplier confirms that the person ordering the goods is indeed a chimney in the wall. To the best of Defendant 1's knowledge, the same Bekir carried out many import transactions, some of which he released the goods himself and sold the goods in the Palestinian Authority, and in some cases he sought to market the goods in Israel. The defendant worked extensively with Bekir and mediated between him and various parties in the commercial market, and therefore knew how to provide the court with many details regarding his business activity.
It was further claimed that in both of the aforementioned transactions, Bekir was unable to open documentary credit independently and required a non-bank financier to open the documentary credit for him. Following Bakir's request to Defendant 1, the latter offered to open the credit through the Lantex company owned by Aharon Calderon, which dealt with non-bank financing. After the defendant mediated between Bekir and Calderon, both became his clients, and he was obligated to protect the interests of both of them. Among other things, in order to protect Calderon, the defendant asked Bakir to present special collateral for the purpose of financing the transaction, and the defendant's role was "to devise a formula for documentary credit that would suit both parties and meet the terms and limitations of both."