The State Attorney´s Office for Economic Affairs filed an indictment in the Jerusalem Magistrate´s Court on Tuesday, charging a former ambassador with counts of disclosure in breach of duty and obstruction of justice.

Zeev Ben Arieh, who served as Israel´s ambassador to Belarus between 2004-2009, is alleged to have disclosed confidential information to Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman in 2008 regarding a request by Israeli police to the Belarusian authorities for assistance in a criminal investigation into Liberman, who at the time was an MK.

The state attorney´s office said that attorney-general, Yehuda Weinstein, approved the indictment, which was filed after Ben Arieh testified in a hearing in the state attorney´s office. The indictment was filed alongside a notice of a plea bargain agreement reached by the parties.

According to the indictment, Ben Arieh was responsible for handling requests regarding the transfer of legal assistance between Israeli and Belarusian law enforcement authorities.

The indictment charges that in February 2008, Ben Arieh received a request the Israeli police had sent to the Israeli Embassy in Belarus for assistance relating to the criminal investigation into Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, who at the time served as an MK.

The police asked that the request be referred to the Belarusian judicial authorities, the indictment said.

According to the indictment, Liberman visited Belarus in October 2008, and met with Ben Arieh.

During that meeting, Ben Arieh allegedly told Liberman about the request for legal assistance, and gave him various details about it, including in writing.

The indictment said Ben Arieh exploited the trust placed in him as an ambassador, and have information to Liberman without lawful authority. Liberman, the indictment continued, was not authorized to receive that information, especially in the light of his status as the suspect about which the Israeli authorities had filed a case.

The indictment also noted that Ben Arieh notified Liberman about the Israeli police´s application, knowing it was confidential, and that his actions had been intended to obstruct the criminal investigation into Liberman.

According to that plea bargain, Ben Arieh agreed to plead guilty to charges of disclosure in breach of duty and obstruction of justice. The parties agreed to ask for a sentence of four to six months´ community service and a probationary sentence to be determined by the court.

Meanwhile, the attorney-general, Yehuda Weinstein, announced late Monday night that a decision in the probe into Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman is expected ´within weeks´.

Weinstein informed Liberman in April last year that he planned to indict him, pending a hearing, on charges of fraud, breach of trust, fraudulent receipt, money-laundering and witness harassment.

Liberman is suspected of receiving millions of dollars from private business people, through straw companies, between the years 2001 and 2008, while he was a member of Knesset and a cabinet minister.

In a hearing in February, Liberman´s lawyers testified that the foreign minister had no connection to illegally obtained funds or straw companies that allegedly funneled that money.

They also said there is no proof that Liberman ran straw companies before beginning his political career. According to his defense, the Liberman was involved in "real companies" in the wine and wood trade.

In a written response to a query by the Movement for Quality Government, Weinstein said that following hearings in January and February, his office expected to receive written arguments on a number of issues from Liberman´s defense team.

Following that, Weinstein said a decision would be made within the next few weeks.

Regarding reports of an early election, Weinstein referred to guidelines set down in Directive 1.1913 of the attorney general´s office on the issue of prosecutions prior to elections, and said that Liberman´s case will be conducted as per usual. (© 1995-2011, The Jerusalem Post 05/01/12)