When the body could no longer bear the strain: the damning testimony on the investigation of Case 4000
During the Netanyahu trial, defense attorney Jacques Chen presented recordings from Iris Elovitch's interrogation in February 2018, in which she complained of extreme exhaustion after an early morning search. Investigator Tzachi Ben Ari confirmed he did not stop the questioning, saying: 'An investigation is not a picnic.' The defense claims the statements were obtained under severe fatigue.
During the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attorney Jacques Chen, defense counsel for Shaul Elovitch, presented recordings from the interrogation of Iris Elovitch from February 2018 – the day of her arrest in Case 4000. The recordings showed that Elovitch repeatedly complained of extreme exhaustion after the search of her home began early in the morning, yet the questioning continued uninterrupted until late at night. Securities Authority investigator Tzachi Ben Ari, who participated in the interrogation, confirmed in his testimony that he saw no reason to stop the investigation, saying: 'An investigation is not a picnic.' The defense argued that the statements were obtained under extreme fatigue of nearly 20 consecutive hours, aiming to challenge their validity. Ben Ari confirmed that command and prosecution officials monitored the investigation live and did not order it to be stopped.