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.
_______
OccupyTLV, October 29 - activists and Rafi Rotem - the Israeli Tax Authority whistle-blower spend 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 to accept Rotem's complaint against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Rotem and the activists arrived at the Ombudsman's office during public hours (3:00-5:00pm), 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 9:00pm, 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 from 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. 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.
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.
Today's events represented 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 tried 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 from Netanyahu's bureau, ordering them to release the container.
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 the corresponding crime organization. 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.
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.
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 the trial of the former. 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". However, as far as reported by media, such evidence only tied Zaken, her brother, and Tax Authority figures to the affair.
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. 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.
In contrast, the State Ombudsman, Judge (ret) Joseph Shapira, like his predecessors, adamantly refuses to examine the complaints of corruption in the Tax Authority.
Similarly, the Israeli courts were described by media as 'abusing a justice advocate for over a decade'. 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.
Moreover, over the past year and a half, Judge Yael Pradelsky of the Tel-Aviv Magistrate Court, in collusion with both Police Prosecution (in Israel Police can prosecute!) and the Public Defender's office have been engaged in Fraud upon the Court in a criminal litigation against Rotem, baseless from its foundation, for "insulting a public officer". The evidence for fraud in conduct of the Tel-Aviv Magistrate Court in this case was repeatedly submitted to Chief Justice of the Israeli Supreme Court Asher Grunis, who refused to take corrective actions.
Today's exposure, of evidence for the direct involvement of Prime Minister Netanyahu in the Tax Authority corruption scandal, is probably the most plausible explanation for the conduct of the Israeli justice system in the Rotem's case.
Viewing the case from its general perspective, 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.
It should be noted that conduct of the Israel Police tonight was faultless.
Rafi Rotem, Moran Genossar, Gali Avni, Ronny Rahav ,Itzik Haim,
