Private Investigator Zvika Neve Sues Tycoon Alex Sklar for Defamation

Private investigator Zvika Neve has filed two defamation lawsuits against Israeli-Australian businessman Alex Sklar, seeking a total of 3 million shekels (approximately $800,000 USD) for alleged libelous public campaigns.

In the first lawsuit, filed against Sklar and the transportation companies Egged and Metropolin, Neve is demanding 2 million shekels. This action stems from advertisements placed on at least 60 buses across 40 routes, which falsely accused Neve and former Shin Bet head Yaakov Peri of involvement in child abduction. Neve asserts he has no connection to the 1980s abduction of the Block family's children in Germany and was never investigated, charged, or called to testify. He claims the bus companies approved the ads without adequate vetting of the content, causing him significant damage to his reputation and privacy, estimated at 12.16 million shekels, though the claim is capped at 2 million for filing purposes.

The second lawsuit, filed in August and seeking 1 million shekels, targets Sklar over publications alleging Neve exploited the distress of the Elbag family while Liri Elbag was held hostage by Hamas. According to the suit, Liri's father, Eli Elbag, approached Neve for help obtaining a foreign passport for his daughter. Neve claims he received 1 million shekels plus VAT from the family, but returned the full amount when the passport proved unobtainable. Despite this, Neve alleges Sklar published claims that he defrauded the family. The lawsuit includes statements from Eli Elbag in interviews, confirming he approached Neve, that the passport effort failed, and that the money was returned without complaint.

Sklar maintains the truth of the published statements and intends to prove it in court. He dismisses Neve's claims that this is a diversion from other legal battles, stating he has accumulated complaints from various parties regarding Neve's conduct. Sklar previously told Globes he allocated $10 million to a campaign against Neve and offered a $1 million reward for "golden evidence" against him, calling it a significant life project he will continue until "criminals are in jail."

Neve and his brother, Efi Neve, have denied the accusations, labeling them a personal campaign of false allegations. As of the lawsuits' filing, the defendants had not yet submitted their defenses, and the claims remain undecided.