Qatargate suspect Eli Feldstein went for further questioning at The National Crime Unit offices on Sunday morning, leaving house arrest.
The other suspect in Qatargate, Yonatan Urich, will be released from prison to house arrest on Monday, with his questioning set to continue in the coming days.
Urich, along with Feldstein, is under investigation for his role in the case, which centers on suspected efforts to promote pro-Qatar messaging through unofficial channels.
Sources told Walla that the investigation will focus on additional cell phones that the police seized from Urich, which contain deleted text messages that link him to the classified documents affair, where an indictment was filed against Feldstein and Ari Rosenfeld for leaking a classified document to the German newspaper Bild.
Communications adviser Yisrael Einhorn also under suspicion
Also wanted for questioning is Yisrael Einhorn, a political communications consultant who previously worked with the Likud Party and mediated in the Bild and Qatargate affairs. Einhorn, who currently resides in Serbia, has so far refused to appear for questioning. His mother, Talia, however, attended all of the hearings held this week.
While specific details of the investigation remain under wraps, a letter submitted Friday to the High Court by Deputy Attorney-General Adv. Gil Limon, regarding the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, sheds light on the broader scope of the probe, referencing both Qatargate and the Bild affair.
According to Limon, multiple suspects have been questioned and arrested. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already given open testimony. This is the first time that the police and the prosecutor’s office have officially admitted that Einhorn is a suspect and not just involved in the affair.
Additional suspects are also expected to arrive for questioning at The National Crime Unit, some of them associates of the prime minister.
Investigation team may fly to US to look into Jay Footlik
A team of investigators may also fly to the United States this week to conduct a legal investigation into the case of Jay Footlik, the lobbyist who works with Qatar and requested that Israeli businessman Gil Birger assist in transferring funds to a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s media team, Eli Feldstein, for VAT purposes.
Meanwhile, police and the prosecution are expected to increase pressure on Feldstein to become a state witness in both Qatargate and the Bild affair.
The Bar Association is also expected to discuss Attorney Amit Haddad, who represents Netanyahu, Urich, and Einhorn. The association asked Haddad for explanations by the beginning of the week on whether or not there was a serious conflict of interest in that he represented the three.
So far, police have not acted on the issue, although in a hearing held in court this week, one of the investigators said that there was concern for a conflict of interest, causing Haddad to threaten to file a complaint.
Magistrate Judge Menachem Mizrahi also believed that this was problematic, telling those present at the hearing: “It’s like one person serving as both the defense attorney for the accused and a state witness. It’s problematic.” The Bar Association’s ethics committee will decide on the issue.
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