Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has a close personal relationship with Jackie Eshel, a former senior Mossad official who is one of the prominent prosecution witnesses in Case 1000 [one of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cases], i24NEWS reported on Tuesday evening.

According to the report, the connection between the two was not reported to key figures in the case, including the prosecution team and attorneys, and was not brought to the attention of the defense or the court.

On Thursday, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli sent a strongly worded letter to Baharav-Miara, in which he raised a series of serious allegations regarding this conflict of interest, among others, that, he says, prevents her from handling matters related to Netanyahu’s cases and the Shin Bet.

He revealed that the Police Investigations Department is considering opening an investigation against him in connection with the “Shin Bet Agent A” affair, and that the decision on the matter depends on the Attorney General’s approval.

In his letter, he condemned her for hiding her conflict of interest in Netanyahu’s cases, stating that the relationship between Baharav-Miara and Eshel “was completely concealed even from the prosecution itself.”

Regarding her conflict of interest with the Shin Bet, he wrote: “It is no secret that your husband served in the organization for many years and was forced to end his service due to difficult medical circumstances. Out of inspiring responsibility and mutual care, his colleagues in the service, including the outgoing head of the service, Bar, personally accompanied him for a long period, a reality that naturally created a strong friendship between the families.”

“No less important, the Shin Bet granted your family, out of genuine concern and gratitude, very significant assistance in providing medical coverage such as close personal nursing for many years and at a high cost and sometimes, to the best of my understanding, beyond the letter of the law.”

“While all of this is, in my eyes, a mark of honor for the Shin Bet, there is no doubt that the close connection and the medical resources that were granted were not reported as required within the framework of your honor’s conflicts of interest. The requirement for reporting and transparency regarding conflicts of interest is intended precisely to prevent the situation you are in, since it is clear that you cannot make decisions regarding the Shin Bet and its head, in an objective manner.”

“Therefore, I request that you immediately recuse yourself from any involvement in the matter of  outgoing Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar, including the matter of Shin Bet Agent A, who sought to expose Bar’s improper conduct, as well as any decisions concerning me.”

Chikli further stated in the letter that Baharav-Miara provided private legal advice to Naftali Bennett, which may have influenced her appointments to two positions.

“The apparent provision in the not-so-distant past, prior to your appointment to the position, of private legal advice to Naftali Bennett on sensitive matters—advice that may have influenced Bennett’s decision as Education Minister to appoint you as a director at the Ben-Gurion Midrasha, and later may have been a consideration in his decision to appoint you as Attorney General.” [Baharav-Miara was appointed as Attorney-General while Bennett was serving as prime minister.]

The letter was also sent to State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman and government ministers.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi responded: “The Attorney General is breaking records of moral and legal depravity. Not only is she acting illegally to thwart government policy, but it now turns out that she also concealed a significant personal conflict of interest in the fabricated trial against the Prime Minister, from the prosecution, from the defense, and the judges. This is not negligence – it is corruption on the part of a rule-of-law gang. Who will investigate her? Who will stop the farce?”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)