BREAKING NEWS

Ex-Ashdod Port chief Hassan indicted

Former Ashdod Port union chief Alon Hassan and five others were indicted on Sunday on bribe, fraud and money- laundering charges, finally bringing to court a case that erupted some two years ago.
According to the indictment, some NIS 22 million in bribes related to Hassan’s actions and those of former Ashdod Ports CEO and oversight authority Shuki Sagis, as well as David Hassan, Yaniv Baltar and Uri Baltar in conjunction with the company Dana Port Group.
Initially, there had been heavy speculation Alon Hassan would get a plea-bargain deal to testify against now-indicted attorney Ronel Fisher and his associates in a related massive corruption case, which Hassan helped break open by recording Fisher offering to use his special connections with law enforcement to solve Hassan’s legal problems in exchange for cash.
Fisher was later indicted and arraigned on the basis of other plea bargains and allies turned state witnesses. He was due to begin the witness stage of his trial on Sunday, but it was postponed for the second time, reportedly due to issues with Fisher finding legal representation.
Given the other plea bargains related to Fisher, the prosecution did not need a deal with Hassan, and he was left out to dry.