Court allows publication: These are the Likud officials suspected of smuggling assets

The court allowed the publication of the names of four senior Likud members who were investigated on suspicion of smuggling assets and concealing real estate rights: contractor Dudi Appel, Likud court president Michael Kleiner, and brothers Yafa and Yitzhak Dayan. They were detained on Monday and questioned by Lahav 433, and released under conditions. The investigation revolves around concealing assets worth tens of millions of shekels during Appel's bankruptcy proceedings.

The court allowed today (Tuesday) the publication of the names of four senior Likud members who were investigated on suspicion of smuggling assets and concealing real estate rights. The suspects are contractor Dudi Appel, Likud court president and former Knesset member Michael Kleiner, and brothers Yafa and Yitzhak Dayan. The four were detained on Monday and questioned by Lahav 433, and released under conditions at the end of their questioning. According to the suspicion, Appel, who has been in bankruptcy proceedings since 2012, concealed rights in real estate and smuggled assets under his control, using complex transactions and additional involved parties. The scope of the assets under examination is estimated at tens of millions of shekels. Kleiner is involved, according to the suspicion, in one of the transactions under examination, and the Dayan brothers are suspected of aiding. The investigation was opened following information that accumulated during Appel's insolvency proceedings. The findings of the investigation indicate sophisticated and systematic activity to conceal rights. With the transition to the open investigation, much property was seized in order to confiscate it. Appel's lawyer, Efraim Demari, said that this is an old affair that was investigated about 14 years ago, and he finds it difficult to understand why law enforcement authorities are returning to deal with the same events. Appel was previously involved in the Greek island affair, in which he was suspected of employing Gilad Sharon, the son of then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.