At this stage, it remains unclear whether the additional material identified by the Shin Bet could change the findings.
Follow us on GoogleInvestigators from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the Israel Police's National Fraud Investigation Unit and the State Attorney's Office are meeting on Wednesday evening to continue examining suspicions of foreign interference in Israel's elections, after police concluded that there was insufficient evidence to establish suspicion of security offenses in the case.
The meeting follows police submitting their legal assessment, which found no sufficient basis to suspect security offenses.
However, the Shin Bet believes the investigation has not yet been exhausted and has told police it has additional material that needs to be examined.
The meeting is now focused on the continued examination of the material as part of the joint investigative team's work.
Shin Bet, police clash over evidence of foreign interference in Israeli elections
The central question is whether the additional information cited by the Shin Bet could change the picture police presented in their assessment, or whether the conclusions will remain unchanged.
Wednesday evening's meeting is part of the established working procedures of the agencies involved in examining the affair. At this stage, it remains unclear whether the additional material identified by the Shin Bet could change the findings.
The affair began after the Shin Bet received intelligence shortly before the elections for the 26th Knesset, raising suspicions of an attempt to influence the vote through funds transferred by foreign entities.
According to reports published by Walla, investigators examined suspicions of involvement by entities linked to Iran, Turkey, and Qatar, as well as the distribution of cash and benefits to voters in the Arab community.
Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg ordered the information to be examined to determine whether evidence existed to substantiate the suspicions.
Disagreements subsequently emerged between the Shin Bet and the Attorney-General's Office regarding the nature of the investigation.
The Shin Bet argued that the intelligence pointed to a widespread phenomenon of foreign funding and influence that could involve thousands of people and called for a broad security investigation.
The Attorney-General's Office, however, did not accept the classification of the matter as a security investigation.
On Sunday, Walla reported that the Mossad had completed its examination and transferred its findings to the Shin Bet ahead of a discussion by the joint investigative team comprising police and Shin Bet personnel.
On Tuesday, Walla reported that police had submitted an assessment to the State Attorney's Office indicating difficulties in establishing grounds for security offenses at this stage.
The examination is now focused on suspicions of offenses involving political party financing, and the findings are also expected to be submitted for review by Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara.
Meanwhile, although Likud requested that publication of the election results be delayed until the investigation was completed, Sohlberg rejected the request, clarifying that the material collected did not provide grounds to challenge the election results as a whole.
Follow us on GoogleSource: The Jerusalem Post · HODAYA RAN
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