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Tax Authority whistle-blower Rafi Rotem: Corruption complaint, involving Benjamin Netanyahu, which the State Ombudsman refused to accept
חושף השחיתויות ברשות המסים רפי רותם: תלונה על שחיתות, הנוגעת בבנימין נתניהו, שמשרד מבקר המדינה סירב לקבל
Corruption of the Tax Authority directly leads to the highest offices of government in Israel. Here, a case of electronic goods smuggling and murder of an intelligence source, tied to Netanyahu. Over the past dozen years, the courts and law enforcement authorities have engaged in perversion of justice, intimidation and retaliation against a victim, witness and informant Rafi Rotem. Therefore, the Tax-Authority corruption scandal has produced unique documentation of the Israeli justice system operating as a State Crime Organization.
Israeli Ombudsman refuses to accept whistle-blower complaint against PM Netanyahu - smuggling, murder of a "source"
Description: The case of whistle-blower Rafi Rotem is no longer a case of the Tax Authority corruption. The case provides clear evidence of systemic, widespread corruption of the Israeli courts and justice system.
Article:
Social Protest activists in Direct Action - sit-in in the State Ombudsman's office in Tel-Aviv, Wednesday evening.
Rafi Rotem - the Tax Authority whistle-blower - Israel Police officers, and the complaint that the State Ombudsman's office refused to accept - Wednesday around 9:00pm.
Hand-written statement by Tax-Authority whistle-blower Rafi Rotem, regarding the complaint he attempted to file with the Israeli Ombudsman on October 29, 2014. The record was signed by Mr Rafi Rotem in the presence of the author. [i] English translation of the hand-written statement follows.
October 29, 2014
Complaint, which the State Ombudsman refuses to accept, and called police against me.
- About 10 years ago, investigation was underway in the Tel-Aviv Investigations Department of the Tax Authority, regarding smuggling of a container of television projectors, worth millions of NIS.
- The import was under the name of a corporation name "Sonar".
- Initial investigation uncovered that the true "Sonar" owners were unrelated to the smuggling.
- The investigation clarified that a central Likud [Netanyahu's part - jz] activist (Sh.B.) was the smuggler/
- Although the container was seize - in an unprecedented step, the container was released by the Director of the Investigations Department Rafi Amiel, and the investigation file was entirely covered up.
- An intelligence source approached me and told me that he was a witness of a telephone conversation of the Likud activist with Bibi (Benjamin - jz] Netanyahu, who then was Treasury Minister, and that Bibi assisted in releasing the container.
- A document in this matter was forwarded to [Tax Authority Investigations Department - jz] Security Officer Yoram Tibi, who did nothing about it.
- The intelligence source was recorded in this matter by the Tel-Aviv police. Police did nothing about it.
- Later, the intelligence source was murdered.
- The State Ombudsman refuses to investigate the case.
[hand signature - Rafi Rotem]
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Rafi Rotem
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OccupyTLV, October 29 - activists and Rafi Rotem - the Israeli Tax Authority whistle-blower - spent this evening about five hours (4:00-9:00pm) in Direct Action Civil Disobedience - a sit-in in the Tel-Aviv offices of the State Ombudsman - in protest of the Ombudsman's office refusal to accept Rotem's corruption complaint against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Rotem and the activists arrived at the Ombudsman's office during public hours (3:00-5:00 pm), but after a very short meeting of Rotem with a senior staff member, once she realized that the complaint pertained to Prime Minister Netanyahu, she left the room and refused to return and accept the complaint.
In response, Rotem and the activists refused to leave the office. Around 9:00 pm, hours after normal closing time, staff of the Ombudsman's office called the Israel Police, which evacuated Rotem and the activists from the location.
With it, Rotem and the activists promised to return during public hours and again attempt to have Rotem file his complaint against Netanyahu.
Today's events were not the first time that the State Ombudsman, Judge (ret) Joseph Shapira, refused to accept Rotem's complaints regarding corruption in the Tax Authority. For months, during the first half of the current year, the State Ombudsman issued a standing order to the security detail of his office to prevent Rotem's entrance to the office during public hours, in order to prevent Rotem from filing complaint regarding corruption in the Tax Authority.
In response, Rotem and the activists a arrived on a routine basis every Wednesday and recorded the refusal of the State Ombudsman's office to accept complaints.
The refusal of the State Ombudsman to accept Rotem's complaints should be deemed blatant violation of Human Rights - denial of Equal Protection under the Law.
During the summer, probably under pressure by media, the Ombudsman changed his approach. In a series of meetings between the staff of the Ombudsman's office and Rotem, a large volume of evidence was filed, pertaining to various corruption cases. [ii] The cases included, among others, the undermining and obstruction of tax investigations worth NIS tens and hundreds of millions against tycoon Nohi Dankner, against organized crime figure Reuven Gavrieli, and against Gibor-Sport Corporation, involving figures related to Netanyahu's Likud Party. [iii]
However, in the months that passed since the end of the series of meetings this summer, it became clear beyond doubt that the Ombudsman did not intend to examine Rotem's complaints at all. The Ombudsman refused to issue complaint numbers - a routine commencing procedure - a letter typically issued within a week or two after receipt of the complaint material, indicating the complaint number.
In view of the State Ombudsman's obfuscation, the Israeli Quality Government Movement recently issued last month an unprecedented letter to Ombudsman Shapira, urging him to perform his duties and duly examine Rotem's complaints. [iv]
Today's events represent a return of the Ombudsman's office to the same pattern of obstruction, which it had practiced earlier this year. Again Rotem faced refusal to even accept the evidence.
The complaint, which Rotem attempted to file today, had never been previously discussed during the meetings with the Ombudsman's staff. The complaint pertains to the period during which Netanyahu served as Minister of the Treasury. A key member of Netanyahu's Likud Party was caught trying to smuggle a container full of electronic goods. While Rotem (then a senior intelligence/investigations officer in the Tax Authority) and others were examining the container, a phone call arrived, ordering them to release the container. As it turned out later, the order to release the container arrived directly from Netanyahu. (see statement above)
The intelligence source, who provided the lead for the capture of the container, was later murdered. The source realized that his life was in danger, since his relationship with law enforcement was leaked somehow to criminal elements involved in the matter. Therefore, the source urgently contacted Rotem, and asked to enter protective detention. Rotem immediately forwarded the request to his superiors. To his amazement, the request was denied.
A few days later, the source was murdered in a hotel room, and evidence of torture was found on his body. Police initially claimed that it was a suicide. The source's family initially had no idea of the circumstances that led to his death. However, after the affair was exposed by Rotem in media reports, the family filed a law suit for damages against the State. The case is still pending before the courts.
The murder of the source was previously covered by main-stream Israeli media, based on the evidence exposed by Rotem. [v] However, today was the first time that Rotem exposed the link to Prime Minister Netanyahu to this matter.
Of all the corruption affairs, so far exposed by Rotem, the electronics container case is the one that ties the corruption in the Tax Authority in the clearest and most direct way to the highest government office holder in Israel today.
However, it is by now evident that also the office of Netanyahu's predecessor, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was involved in the Tax Authority corruption. Parts of Rotem's claims, regarding corruption in the Tax Authority, were confirmed earlier this year in a plea bargain deal with former Prime Minister Olmert's personal secretary Shula Zaken, during Olmert's corruption the trial. According to media reports, when Judge David Rosen examined the evidence, provided by Zaken as part of the deal, he found the parts, pertaining to the Tax Authority "the most shocking". [vi]
In an interview with Haaretz daily in 2013, then former Attorney General, today Supreme Court Justice Menachem Mazuz stated that the Tax Authority corruption scandal was the closest to organized crime in the highest offices of government. [vii] However, Mazuz did not elaborate exactly how "high" such "offices" were...
About a month ago, Rotem was informed by Supreme Court Justice (ret) Mishael Chesin, that Rotem was elected a "Knight of Government Quality" by the Israeli Quality Government Movement.
Similarly, the Israeli courts were described by media as 'abusing a justice advocate for over a decade'. [viii] Such conduct spanned about a dozen court cases, starting from the Tel-Aviv District Labor Court, continuing through the Tel-Aviv Magistrate Court, and ending in the Israeli Supreme Court.
Israeli media have consistently covered the case over the past decade. [ix] Media's coverage in this case was unusual; first - for the direct and blatant criticism of the courts, [x] and second - for a December 2013 letter signed by 44 senior correspondents, calling upon State Ombudsman Shapira to perform his duties. [xi]
However, regardless of the ongoing exposure of the scandal, the Israeli justice system appears set in its way: Over the past year and a half, Rotem is facing criminal prosecution by police (in Israel Police can prosecute!) in the Tel-Aviv Magistrate Court, on charges of "insulting a public officer". Such prosecution is baseless and outrageous from its start, since police has engaged in abusing Rotem for years, including a series of false arrests and beating, also reported by media. [xii] None of the police officers involved in the abuse was ever held accountable, but Rotem is prosecuted for insulting police... Furthermore, the evidence increasingly shows that Judge Yael Pradelsky of the Tel-Aviv Magistrate Court, in collusion with both Police Prosecution and the Public Defender's office have been engaged in obvious perversion of justice in this case.[xiii, xiv]
Conduct of the Israeli Ombudsman and the Israeli courts in view of the wide exposure of the Tax Authority corruption scandal is perplexing... Today's exposure - the evidence of the direct involvement of Prime Minister Netanyahu in the Tax Authority corruption scandal, provides the most plausible explanation for such conduct.
The scandal is by now far from a Tax Authority corruption scandal. The evidence, which has been gradually accumulating in this case over the past decade, clearly presents systemic, widespread corruption of the courts and the justice system.
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Joseph Zernik, PhD
OccupyTLV
Human Rights Alert (NGO)
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Cross References
i 2014-10-29 Tax Authority whistle-blower Rafi Rotem: Corruption complaint, involving Benjamin Netanyahu, which the State Ombudsman refused to accept
ii 2014-05-05 ISRAEL: After years of abuse, Tax-Authority whistle-blower Rafi Rotem wins the right to be deposed by State Ombudsman, OpEdNews.com
iii 2014-11-01 Rafi Rotem, the Tax Authority, and the justice system - interim summary of the case
iv 2014-10-06 Israeli Quality Government Movement letter of inquiry to the Israeli State Ombudsman, in re: Investigation of Rotem's complaint
v 2007-01-26 VIDEO: Death of the Tax Authority Agent_Channel 2
vi 2014-05-17 Tel-Aviv courtroom drama exposes new evidence of organized crime in highest levels of government in Israel, OpEdNews.com
vii 2013-06-07 Interview with former Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, Haaretz
viii 2013-10-04 Calman Liebeskind: "No justices in Jerusalem, for over a decade the courts have been abusing justice advocate", Maariv
ix Tax Authority whistle-blower Rafi Rotem - index of records and links (full English translation) in chronological order
x2007-10-02 "The Rafi Rotem file: The witnesses, who never took the stand"_ Globes (full English translation)
xi 2013-12-19 Letter by 44 journalists to State Ombudsman to provide Rotem protection (full English translation)
xii 2013-06-23 Former MK, Prof Aryeh Eldad, "Anti-corruption fighter has become homeless", Haaretz
xiii 2014-09-29 ISRAEL: Attorneys from a non-existent law-firm appeared as Public Defenders for whistle-blower Rafi Rotem... , OpEdNews.com
xiv 2014-05-26 Request filed with Amnesty International in the case of persecuted Israeli Tax Authority whistle-blower Rafi Rotem, OpEdNews.com
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חושף השחיתויות ברשות המסים רפי רותם: תלונה על שחיתות, הנוגעת בבנימין נתניהו, שמשרד מבקר המדינה סירב לקבל
השחיתות ברשות המסים מגיעה הישר לחלונות הגבוהים של הממשלה. כאן, פרשה של הברחת אלקטרוניקה ורצח מקור מודיעין,המגיעה לביבי. כבר תריסר שנים עסוקים בתי המשפט ורשויות אכיפת החוק בשיבוש הליכי משפט ונקמנות נגד רותם. בכך יצרה הפרשה תיעוד חסר תקדים של מערכת הצדק במדינת ישראל כמערכת של פשע מאורגן מדינתי.
חושף השחיתויות רפי רותם באחד ממעצרי השווא הרבים על ידי משטרת ת"א, וראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו.
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מאהל המחאה ת"א, 5 לנובמבר - להלן הצהרה בנידון בכתב ידו של רפי רותם, שנחתמה בנוכחותי ותעתיק ההצהרה אחריה.
קישורים
[1] 2014-10-29 Israeli Ombudsman refuses to accept whistle-blower Rotem's corruption complaint against PM Netanyahu
משרד מבקר המדינה מסרב לקבל מרפי רותם תלונה נגד ראש הממשלה נתניהו על מעורבותו בשחיתות ברשות המסים!
[2] 2014-11-01 Rafi Rotem, the Tax Authority, and the justice system - interim summary of the case
חושף השחיתויות רפי רותם - סיכום ביניים של הפרשיות
[2] 0000-00-00 Rafi Rotem - Index of records (full English translation)
רפי רותם - רשימת הכתבים וקישורים
[3] 0000-00-00 Rafi Rotem - the Tax Authority whistle-blower - records and links by subject
רפי רותם - חושף השחיתויות ברשות המסים - רשימת כתבים וקישורים על פי נושאים
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דר' יוסף צרניק
מאהל המחאה, ת"א
סייג לזכויות האדם (NGO)
תעתיק של ההצהרה בכתב יד של רפי רותם.
29/10/2014
תלונה שמבקר המדינה סירב לקבל, והזמין נגדי משטרה
- לפני כ-10 שנים הייתה חקירה במח' חקירות של רשות המסים בת"א על הברחת מכולה של מקרני טלוויזיה, בשווי של מליוני ש"ח.
- היבוא היה על שם חב' "סונאר".
- בדיקה ראשונית העלתה כי בעלי "סונאר" האמתיים לא קשורים להברחה.
- בחקירה התברר כי פעיל מרכזי בליכוד (ש.ב.) הוא המבריח.
- למרות שהמכולה נתפסה - בצעד ללא תקדים שוחררה המכולה ע"י מנהל מח' החקירות רפי עמיאל, ותיק החקירה טויח לחלוטין.
- מקור מודיעיני פנה אליי וסיפר כי הוא היה עד לשיחת טלפון של פעיל הליכוד עם ביבי נתניהו, כשהיה שר אוצר, וביבי סייע לשחרור המכולה.
- מסמך בנושא הועבר לקב"ט יורם טיבי, שלא עשה דבר.
- המקור הוקלט במשטרת ת"א בפרשה זאת. המשטרה לא עשתה דבר.
- לימים אותו מקור נרצח.
- מבקר המדינה מסרב לחקור זאת.
[חתימת יד - רפי רותם]
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רפי רותם
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