Yisrael Beitenu chairman Avigdor Liberman defiantly took to Facebook on Friday vowing that his party colleagues currently under investigation for a slew of corruption-related crimes will be vindicated.
“Only those who are lazy won’t bother to think how it is that during every election, without exception, ‘shadowy forces’ try to infringe on the right of Yisrael Beitenu to fairly stand for election,” Liberman wrote. “As far as our party is concerned, no elections go by without an investigation.”
The party is now on the defensive after police announced a number of arrests of senior party functionaries, including Deputy Minister Faina Kirschenbaum, for alleged involvement in a major corruption scheme involving the taking and giving of bribes, patronage, cronyism, and fraud.
“I am certain of the innocence of our colleagues, and I’d like to once again remind everyone that it would be best not to jump to conclusions and seal the fate of those people [under investigation] because in a democratic society everyone is innocent until proven otherwise,” Liberman said.
The foreign minister said that he “rejected any attempts to sully all of Yisrael Beytenu.”
“We always knew how to deal with these kinds of instances, only to emerge stronger,” Liberman said. “This will also be the case this time, and we will continue to act in the service of the security and unity of the State of Israel. You have my word.”