The Fifth Dimension Affair: The Competition Authority and the Antitrust Authority have opened an undercover investigation into the affair, on suspicion of presenting false information and receiving anything fraudulently. As part of the investigation, search warrants were also recently issued, at the request of the Competition Authority and the Antitrust Authority, including a search warrant against a former senior executive in the company.
Today (Monday) it was announced that about a week ago, two PA and antitrust investigators came to court with the request in question, to issue a search warrant on the computers of suspects in the case. According to the explanation given to the judges, the suspicion is, as stated, giving false information while receiving anything fraudulently. The application was filed about two years after the complaint was filed by attorney Pini Fischler and about eight months after the investigation was transferred to the Antitrust Authority.
Advocate Pini Fischler, who complains in the case, protested a few days ago in a letter he sent to the ombudsman, about what he defined as “dragging one’s feet in the fifth dimension case.” This, against the background of the fact that the search and intrusion orders on the computer were issued about eight months after his complaint.
For those with a short memory. Remember how the gifted fox, the genius, the genius commissioner, the deputy chief of the GSS with his keen sense of smell, Mr. Alshikh, the best-selling author of “Values in Test,” called the mighty product of the fifth dimension? Game Changer. What’s left of it? Air.
– Pini Fischler (@fischler_pini) March 1, 2021
In response to an earlier letter Fischler sent on the subject, the Deputy Office of the State Attorney at the Ministry of Justice clarified that “this is an ongoing investigation.” The Antitrust Authority stated that “we do not refer to ongoing investigations.”
On February 20, 2020, Acting State Attorney Dan Eldad recommended that the “Fifth Dimension” case be transferred to a criminal investigation, which will be conducted by the Israel Police, after examining the documents and previous opinions written by the State Attorney’s Office. Earlier, by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit who announced that “Bnei Gantz is not a suspect in the affair.”
A few days later, Eldad detailed his decision in a letter he wrote to the public prosecutors: “Postponing the decision would have spared personal criticism but would have brought harsh and well-founded criticism.”