Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beitenu party, will soon return to his post of Foreign Minister after having been aquitted by a Jerusalem Court on a charge of fraud and breach of trust.
The Court ruled Wednesday that Lieberman did not unreasonably advance Israel’s former ambassador to Belarus, Zeev Ben Aryeh, to new positions.
Since the formation of a new coalition government in April, including Lieberman’s party, the post of Foreign Minister has remained vacant.
Lieberman stepped down from his cabinet position in December 2012 after the state prosecution announced its intention to file an indictment against him over Belarus ambassador affair.
He is currently chairman of the Knesset’s foreign affairs and defense committee.
Netanyahu served as Interim Foreign Minister pending a Court verdict.
The judges said in their decision that Lieberman should have informed the Foreign Ministry’s appointments committee of his relationship with Ben Aryeh when he was considered for the post. However, “there was no proof of a sufficiently severe conflict of interests” to merit a conviction, they said.
“After perusing the evidence on the matter, we’ve ruled that Ben Aryeh’s appointment didn’t constitute a promotion for him; nor was it a ‘springboard’ for other future senior positions,” the judges said in a summary of their decision. “Thus, Ben Aryeh’s appointment befitted his qualifications and abilities, as well as the needs of the Foreign Ministry, which wasn’t blessed with many workers whose Russian [language skills] and expertise in the Russian [political] landscape are comparable to Ben Aryeh’s.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers welcomed Lieberman’s return to the government.
"I congratulate you on your unanimous acquittal and am glad you are returning to the Government of Israel so we can continue to work together for the good of the people of Israel," Netanyahu said.