Police Finish Probe Into Passport Affair Involving Eli Cohen

Israel Police’s Lahav 433 anti-fraud unit has completed its investigation into suspected breaches of trust and public integrity violations involving former foreign minister and current energy minister Eli Cohen, along with additional senior officials and public employees at the Foreign Ministry. The case now moves to the State Attorney’s Office for a decision on whether to file an indictment.

The probe centered on allegations that Cohen and senior aides in his office and ministry worked to issue prestigious diplomatic passports to people who were not entitled to them, for improper and non-professional reasons. The affair, which shook the Foreign Ministry, was opened in January 2024 with the approval of the attorney general.

Over the past months, investigators from Lahav 433 took testimony from dozens of people involved in the case and seized numerous documents and digital materials at the Foreign Ministry and other locations. The investigation was closely supervised by the Prosecutor’s Office for Taxation and Economics.

After all investigative steps in Israel were completed, Lahav 433 commander Maj. Gen. Meni Benjamin approved the case summary and sent it to Maj. Gen. Boaz Blett, head of the Investigation and Intelligence Division. Blett approved the summary and ordered the file transferred formally to prosecutors for review and a final decision on whether to charge Cohen, who is still a member of Knesset.