Investigator Testifies About Evidence Destruction in Netanyahu Corruption Case

In a dramatic testimony in Case 4000, police investigator Arnon Harpaz revealed that he witnessed another investigator, Dotan Melichin, take and break a disk containing investigation material. The incident occurred during the probe of former communications magnate Shaul Elovitch. Harpaz described the act as improper and reported it to Melichin's superior and the head of the investigation team, documenting the event in a memo. The defense argued that this constituted illegal evidence destruction and demanded the memo be included in the case files, asserting its relevance since the investigation room was reportedly empty and the destroyed disk related to an investigation that never took place.

Harpaz also testified about an interrogation tactic involving a confidential informant linked to state witness Nir Hefetz, though details about the informant remain under gag order. When questioned about other instances of investigators destroying evidence, Harpaz said he had never encountered such behavior in his eight years with the Lahav 433 unit. The defense highlighted that they had not received the memo documenting the disk incident, raising concerns about transparency in the investigation process.

This testimony adds to the ongoing legal proceedings against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others, focusing on allegations of corruption and improper conduct during the investigation. The court continues to examine the handling of evidence and interrogation methods as part of the broader Case 4000 trial.