The State Prosecutor’s Office has informed former Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, who served as chairman of the board of directors of the non-banking credit company UnitCredit, and controlling shareholders and other executives Tzachi Ezer, Shai Pinso and Shlomo Itzhak, that it is considering bringing them to trial on a number of charges.
Kahlon was summoned to a hearing with four other suspects on charges of fraud, breach of trust and reporting violations.
“We are confident that the truth will come out,” said Kahlon’s attorney, Attorney Nati Simchone. “The fact that Kahlon’s conduct was impeccable during the hearing will be revealed, which will lead to closure of the case.”
“We plan to use our right to a hearing with the attorney general to present all of our claims in a comprehensive and extensive manner, and we believe that after a thorough examination of the matter, the attorney general’s office’s intention to file an indictment against my client, in part or in full, will change,” said Ezer’s attorney Guy Shinar of the Eisenberg Shinar & Co. law firm. “Mr. Ezer has many claims and justified reasons regarding the suspicions attributed to him in his investigation, and he presented these claims even during the investigation. I believe that after a thorough examination of the facts, the attorney general will reach the conclusion that there is no basis to indict him.”
Isaac’s attorney, Attorney Eran Shacham-Shavit of the Herzog Fox Neeman law firm, former legal adviser to the Israel Securities Authority’s investigations department, said: “The letter of accusation reveals that the senior officials – the company’s CEO and the chairman of the board – are at the heart of the letter of accusations surrounding UnetCredit’s activities. As part of the letter of accusations, the prosecution included as suspects both the accountant and the lawyer who closely accompanied the company’s activities. In fact, the prosecutor accepted Isaac’s account that as a manager he regularly relied on professional advice, and also believed in real time that the gatekeepers – the lawyer and the accountant – were the architects of the implementation of the business. Isaac will come to the hearing with the aim of shedding light on all the relevant circumstances and with the belief that the cloud hanging over him will disappear completely.”
Presumption of innocence: Moshe Kahlon and the others accused of involvement in the case are considered mere suspects and have not been convicted of any crime, and have the right to be presumed innocent.
This article was published in Globes, Israeli Business News – en.globes.co.il – on September 17, 2024.
© Copyright Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2024.