(haipo) – Judge Noam Solberg updated that the Shin Bet investigation and the work of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) regarding the elections for the 26th Knesset are continuing, but the information has not yet matured into actual evidence. He praised the cooperation between the bodies and warned of the harm that leaks can cause to the investigation and security.
Judge Noam Solberg's statement:
Subject: Update regarding the ongoing investigation and the work of the CCM
This week the 26th Knesset convened for the first time. However, in accordance with my words at the meeting where we confirmed the results of the elections for the 26th Knesset, my work on the matter is not yet complete. As a reminder, the General Security Service is conducting an extensive investigation into the suspicions regarding Didan.
I am following the investigation. This morning I convened the members of the TCHM, the investigation directors themselves, to hear from them, firsthand, about the conduct of the investigation. Representatives of the Shin Bet, the Israel Police, and the State Attorney's Office were present at the meeting.
Given the great importance of removing the cloud and the shadow it casts, and the numerous publications in the media (I'm sorry to say, most of them are inaccurate, to say the least), I found it appropriate to update you as follows:
- As I recall, shortly after the elections, the head of the Shin Bet presented me with information that raised suspicions, some of them very serious, that had a bearing on the elections. I instructed him to launch a comprehensive investigation into the matter, in order to get to the root of it; to instigate or to confirm it.
- I would like to emphasize. From the beginning of the current election campaign, the head of the Shin Bet harnessed himself and the service to protecting the elections. Many actions were taken – silence is good for them – to maintain the security of the information. My thanks and the thanks of the entire Central Elections Committee, for its members and employees, an extension of the Shin Bet and its head. Their assistance during the election campaign is invaluable. The Shin Bet deserves the gratitude and trust of the public towards it.
- The investigation is still ongoing. Confidential information has been presented, which has not yet matured into real evidence, and may not even mature; time will tell. At the same time, this information requires continued, intensive investigation, until it is exhausted. The evidentiary situation at this stage is similar to the evidentiary situation that was presented to us on the eve of the statement we issued to the media last week.
- I have come to know that the cooperation between the Shin Bet, the Israel Police, and the Government Legal Counsel is good. I asked and examined the issue with the members of the Shin Bet – good and balanced professionals – and did not find that the Government Legal Counsel refused the investigation requests that the Shin Bet submitted to it. I was assured, and the promise is true to me, that any request that is submitted, and that is based on suspicion as required by law, will be examined quickly, efficiently, with a view to responding to what will lead to the investigation of the truth, and in accordance with the law.
- I will continue to monitor the progress of the investigation. To the extent that I identify gaps or obstacles, I will work to remove them. When there are findings that can be disclosed to the public without thwarting the investigation or harming state security, we will do so. I would suggest that if you are exposed to information about the investigation in the media, take it with a grain of salt, as until now, there has been a great distance between the media descriptions and the conduct of the investigation.
- However, I would like to point out that yesterday evening, we were notified that a certain opinion regarding the investigation had been completed, and since it was classified, it would be delivered to us by courier the next day. A short time later, and even before the opinion reached its destination, its main points were published in the electronic media. The opinion only reached the Central Elections Committee at noon yesterday. I am not complaining about manners and conduct, but about the repeated damage to the investigation, and especially its security aspects, due to the leaks. Such a leak is a sick evil. I commented on this severely today. The public deserves that we reach the conclusion of the investigation.
Sincerely,
Noam Solberg, Judge
Deputy President of the Supreme Court
Chairman of the Election Committee
The central committee for the 26th Knesset