An Israeli professor, accused of arms trafficking, has asserted through his lawyer that he has no plans to travel to the United States for trial, alleging that the charges brought against him are a result of a political persecution campaign initiated by President Joe Biden.
Prof. Gal Luft, 56, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Israeli army and the executive director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security think tank in Washington, claims that the charges are retaliation for his cooperation with an FBI investigation into the business dealings of President Biden's son, Hunter.
Luft is facing eight counts of failing to register as a foreign agent, arms trafficking, violating American sanctions against Iran and providing false statements to American agents to advance Chinese interests. If convicted on all counts, Luft could face up to 170 years behind bars.
Luft, who has been a permanent resident of Israel with his family since 2008 after living abroad, was detained in Cyprus under an Interpol Red Notice issued requested by the United States upon landing in the Meditteranean island nation on February 9. With the Jewish state having an extradition agreement with the U.S. and Luft spending most of his time in Israel, the researcher speculates that his apprehension in Cyprus was a deliberate attempt to avoid having the case heard in an Israeli court.
Adv. Mordechai Tzivin, who represents Luft, has revealed that his client made the decision not to appear for trial in the United States, citing concerns about receiving a fair trial. Tzivin asserts that Luft, an academic and businessman, has acted impeccably and claims that he is being targeted by U.S. authorities for political reasons.
Luft claims that U.S. authorities are concerned that the information he possesses could undermine President Joe Biden's political standing and potentially expose him to legal problems. Tzivin claims to have evidence to support these allegations, including an email correspondence in which Biden's son Hunter purportedly mentions waiting for a phone call with his father before a significant sum of money is subsequently transferred to an account linked to the Biden family.
Gal Luft speaks out about the accusations against him
Propping up his client's bona fides, Tzivin said, "Luft has made significant contributions to the country, boasting an illustrious military background and playing a crucial role in sensitive issues that safeguarded Israeli lives. He spearheaded efforts to reduce oil dependence, fostering the growth of numerous technology companies and attracting substantial investments to the Israeli economy.
Importantly, he has never been subject to investigation by Israeli, American or any other authorities. In fact, his meeting with American authorities was voluntary, as he sought to expose a major corruption case prior to the elections and alert the U.S. government to a significant information leak."
Republican Congressman James Comer, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform which is probing President Joe Biden and his son Hunter's business dealings in China, penned a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray regarding the indictment brought forth by the U.S. Department of Justice against Prof. Luft.
"Recently, Gal Luft, who alleges to have worked with certain Biden family associates, has publicized an account that raises significant concerns. Last year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Luft with various federal crimes. To be clear, the Committee takes no position regarding the federal charges against Luft. Instead, the Committee requests narrowly tailored information he allegedly provided the DOJ and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in March 2019 regarding his interactions with the Chinese company, CEFC,” wrote Comer.
"It is alarming and dishonest that Committee Democrats and certain media outlets have willfully ignored that the federal charges against Luft are directly related to CEFC."
The first count in the indictment charges Luft with conspiring with a senior United States government official to further the interests of the People's Republic of China. While the official is not named in the indictment, it has been revealed that it refers to former CIA chief James Woolsey.
Luft is alleged to have engaged in attempts to recruit Woolsey, leveraging his position to carry out pro-Chinese activities, including ghostwriting articles and facilitating payments on behalf of his Chinese-based handlers.
The indictment further outlines additional charges against Luft, which include acting as a liaison between Chinese arms manufacturers and countries like Kenya and the United Arab Emirates, as well as allegedly attempting to circumvent U.S. sanctions on Iran by facilitating the sale of Iranian oil to third parties.
During the course of the investigation conducted by U.S. authorities, Luft was questioned regarding his alleged involvement in the arms trade. It is claimed that he provided several false statements, including denying any intention to participate in or profit from arms deals.
Instead, he claimed to only be assisting an Israeli acquaintance in gathering price quotes for bidding purposes. The prosecution argues that Luft's presence in Cyprus was not coincidental and suggests that he had been residing there in anticipation of the imminent filing of the indictment.