"I deny all the suspicions": Michael Kleiner's first response to the Dayan brothers affair

Lawyer Michael Kleiner denies all suspicions in his first response to the Dayan brothers affair, in which Dudi Appel and the brothers Yaffe and Yitzhak Dayan are also being investigated. According to the police, Appel promoted urban renewal projects while insolvent, and the profits allegedly disappeared from the eyes of the court.

The affair began in 2012, when Dudi Appel entered insolvency proceedings due to debts of tens of millions of shekels to several creditors, with the main creditor being the Ministry of Housing. According to the suspicion, Appel connected the trustee with the brothers Yaffe and Yitzhak Dayan, who purchased the company, under an agreement whereby his son would enjoy future profits. In 2016, Appel began promoting urban renewal projects in Petah Tikva and Givat Shmuel through the company A.B. Urban Renewal, which was registered in the name of lawyer Michael Kleiner, and after three months was transferred without consideration to the Dayan brothers. The police suspect that the projects, which include hundreds to thousands of apartments, generated profits that disappeared from the eyes of the court. Kleiner, who was also questioned, said in his first response: "All my life I have been careful to act properly while respecting the law and law enforcement authorities, and so also in this case. I deny all the suspicions and believe that the law enforcement authorities will also reach the right conclusions." He noted that he was questioned about the same matters already in 2023.