Retired Police Commander Admits Meeting Journalist for Netanyahu Case Intel

Retired Superintendent Eran Kamin, former acting head of the National Fraud Investigations Unit, testified in the Netanyahu trial on Monday, admitting he met with journalist Ben Caspit at a cafe to gather information concerning the Netanyahu family. Kamin stated these actions were taken without explicit approval from the Attorney General, arguing such approval was unnecessary during the preliminary investigation phase. Kamin was called as a defense witness and questioned by Netanyahu's attorney, Amit Haddad.

During cross-examination, Kamin confirmed the meeting with Caspit, saying, "I met him at a cafe on the basis of wanting to check information related to the Netanyahu family." When pressed by Haddad about approaching Caspit for information, Kamin initially said his memory of the events was incomplete but later explained Caspit was connected to the information, stating, "It's his information, he provided it." Kamin also noted that meeting with a journalist was unusual and he did not want his intelligence officers to know about the contact, as he was seeking "this and that information." He suggested the meeting might have been coordinated with the head of the Investigations and Intelligence Division, and that he later instructed his subordinates to take a formal statement from Caspit.

A central point of contention was the legal authorization for these actions. Kamin told Haddad that investigators did not need approval from the Attorney General for information concerning gifts and the use of Likud party funds. He estimated that the head of the Investigations and Intelligence Division likely had approval from the Attorney General and State Attorney. "If I receive approval from the head of the Investigations and Intelligence Division, I am presumed to be acting with authority and power," Kamin said, adding that he himself did not request to see such approval as it was not part of his operational dynamic. He maintained that the requirement for Attorney General approval applied when the Prime Minister was investigated as a suspect, not during preliminary fact-finding.

The questioning also touched on Kamin's own stance towards Netanyahu. When asked if he knew Caspit was hostile to Netanyahu, Kamin replied he knew Caspit was a journalist and had been very hostile to Ehud Barak. He added that information from journalists should always be treated with skepticism. Haddad accused Kamin of also being hostile to Netanyahu, citing post-retirement remarks where Kamin allegedly called ministers "eunuchs" and referred to Netanyahu as "The Godfather." Kamin responded that he was expressing his opinion on the trial, stating, "I said there are many components that it operates like a crime organization. If the court wishes, I will be happy to elaborate."