Qatargate investigation: Urich will appear for pre indictment hearing
After the announcement Sunday that the prosecution is considering criminal charges against lead 'Qatargate' suspect and aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yonatan Urich, his lawyers said on Monday that he will appear before a pre-indictment hearing.
Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara announced on Sunday night that the prosecution is considering criminal charges against him – pending a hearing, during which the prosecution will present a tentative version of an indictment to Urich and his lawyers, and they will have the opportunity to respond.
If, after that, the prosecution is not satisfied with what it has received, it will proceed with an indictment. Urich's lawyers demanded on Monday to receive all the investigation materials.
The charges include offenses such as the unlawful disclosure of classified information with intent to harm national security, possession of classified information, and destruction of evidence. This is concerning what is known as the 'Leaked Documents Affair,' in which former PMO military spokesman Eli Feldstein allegedly leaked classified military documents to the German daily Bild, after permission for their publication was denied by the Israeli military censor.
The documents were eventually published, allegedly to sway public opinion on the hostage negotiations. This was around August 2024, when six hostages were killed by their Hamas captors in a tunnel: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Almog Sarusi, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, and Alex Lobanov.
Urich allegedly operated with Feldstein to bring this to fruition. Per the allegations, he sought to extract classified information from the IDF, including through secret intelligence, which, once publicized, endangered national security and human lives.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the authorities' announcement 'disgraceful,' and 'an unfortunate decision that raises serious questions.'
'I am familiar with the details, and I state clearly and unequivocally: There was no harm to the security of the state. Yonatan did not harm the state's security. This is an unfounded, baseless move, intended to serve another agenda, not the public's interest,' Netanyahu wrote.
PMO deputy security director Alon Haliva is expected to provide open testimony in the leaked documents case. Feldstein is under house arrest.
The State Attorney's Office opposed easing the conditions of Feldstein's arrest on Monday. In contrast, Urich is being held in significantly more lenient conditions.
The incoming Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief will be barred from involvement in the 'Qatargate' investigations until they are cleared up in about two months, resolving the issue of the prime minister's conflict of interest in the matter.
Per reports, IDF Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yoav 'Poli' Mordechai was questioned in connection with the case, on suspicion of contact with a foreign agent and accepting bribery. He is also suspected of transferring hundreds of thousands of shekels from his business to Urich throughout 2024 for a Qatari campaign.
Bini Aschkenasy and Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.
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