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Israeli bung investigation widens

January 8, 2015 12:02
Faina Kirschenbaum

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Anonymous,

Anonymous

1 min read

The investigation into kickbacks and embezzlement of Israeli state funds, focusing mainly on members of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, took a bizarre turn this week.

It emerged that one of the central suspects, a former press adviser to party leader Avigdor Lieberman, disappeared six months ago in Ukraine and may have been killed.

Mikhail Pelkov, a well-known figure in Israel's Russian-speaking media, was allegedly involved in laundering money that other suspects in the case, including deputy interior minister Faina Kirschenbaum, are suspected of funnelling out of the state budget.

A burnt and unidentified body was found in eastern Ukraine with Pelkov's passport, according to local reports. He had not been in Israel for at least six months.

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