Nir Hefetz to Minister Ohana: Apologize for your words - or I'll sue you
The state witness sent a threatening letter if he did not apologize for his remarks at the Knesset plenum, which he violated a prohibition order, he would sue.
By MAARIV ONLINENir Hefetz, a former associate of Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu and state witness in Case 4000(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)
State witness Nir Hefetz sent a letter to Justice Minister Amir Ohana on Monday, following his exposure in the Knesset plenum, detailing the pressure exerted on him during his police investigation.He said he threatened Ohana with a lawsuit if he did not apologize and compensate him. Hefetz claimed in his letter that Ohana disclosed prohibited details which are under a gag order, which he knew by virtue of being the Minister of Justice.The letter also stated that these were "offensive words that were clearly intended to degrade and humiliate while seriously and severely violating privacy.""Under the false pretense of concern for the rights of the investigated, your true intention, clear to all, was to portray him as a blackmailer and an irrepressible liar," Hefetz added.Ohana used his immunity last week and revealed in the Knesset the investigation of Hefetz, to recruit him as a state witness in Case 4000, the "Bezeq-Walla Affair." The exposure occurred despite a court-imposed gag order on the details of the investigation.After being attacked both in the Knesset and on Twitter for violating the gag order, Ohana responded that everything he said was already published in the public sphere.He denied violating the gag order, saying he does not even have copies of all the classified materials.However, it did appear that aspects of the details he mentioned, which could be deeply embarrassing to Hefetz, had not been previously widely discussed or published.The attorney-general’s office said it did not want to comment on whether Ohana had violated the gag order.Netanyahu himself supported actions to undercut the police for allegedly improperly pressuring Hefetz to testify him, but implicitly criticized Ohana for violating the gag order.
Also, in Ohana’s speech he attacked Mandelblit and State Attorney Shai Nitzan, saying the decision not to probe law enforcement leaks against Netanyahu violated prior High Court of Justice decisions.Mandelblit, Nitzan and the prosecution have said that general policy with similar leaks is not to probe because of the potential harm to freedom of the press and silencing whistleblowers.Their point has been that resisting a powerhouse like an allegedly corrupt prime minister is a fitting purpose and should not necessarily be criminally probed, though they do condemn the leaks and have called on leakers to stop.Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.
