Tel Aviv Court Convicts Former Consultant in Submarine Bribery Affair
The Tel Aviv District Court convicted former consultant Tzachi Liber of mediating bribes in the submarine affair, ruling he funneled funds from Miki Ganor to David Sharan.
The Tel Aviv District Court convicted former strategic consultant Tzachi Liber on Monday of mediating bribery in the high-profile submarine affair. Liber was found guilty of transferring up to 93,900 shekels in bribe money from businessman Miki Ganor, who served as the representative of German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp in Israel, to David Sharan, the former chief of staff to the prime minister, in order to advance submarine purchases.
During his 2017 interrogation, Liber confessed to acting as a financial conduit between the parties. "David Sharan approached me, I think once or twice, and told me he wanted me to meet a very interesting businessman he was in close contact with," Liber stated during the proceedings. He added that Sharan later claimed the businessman owed him funds for services rendered and asked Liber to collect the money from Ganor and pass it on.
According to the court ruling, Liber admitted to cashing the funds received from Ganor between 2014 and 2016 and delivering them to Sharan. Liber testified that most of the cash transfers were coordinated with Sharan's overseas travel schedules, noting instances where Sharan requested specific amounts in foreign currency ahead of trips abroad, including a visit to New York.
