Lt. Col. Harpaz. Arrested
Suspected forger of Galant document arrested at airport
Police investigators arrest Lt. Col. (res.) Boaz Harpaz as he deplanes at Ben-Gurion Airport. He is investigated on warning for hours, denies any connection to document
The chief of staff has been chosen, but the police investigation into the Galant document continues. Lt. Col. (res.) Boaz Harpaz, the main suspect of forging the Galant document, landed on Monday in Israel and was immediately arrested by the police.
The Police International Crime Investigations Unit awaited Harpaz, who landed on a flight from Italy after coordinating with the police, on the plane's ramp. Harpaz was transferred to the office of the International Crime Investigations Unit where he was investigated for hours.
Crisis
Sima Kadmon
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The final stages of the Galant document investigation were started earlier on Monday in talks held between the police and Harpaz's lawyers in which it was agreed that he would return to Israel. Harpaz, a former Sayeret Matkal (General Staff Reconnaissance Unit) soldier and now a businessman in the security industry, announced that he is willing to move up his return to Israel.
During investigations and the questioning of dozens of witnesses, the police started to suspect that Harpaz forged the document. Harpaz himself even gave a testimony to the police. As the investigations unfolded, the International Crime Investigations Unit increasingly began to mark Harpaz as a potential suspect.
After he flew abroad with the knowledge of the police, he was asked via his lawyers to make his return to Israel earlier.
Harpaz: Police looking for scapegoat
The police asked Petah Tivka Magistrates' Court to extend Harpaz's remand by five days on suspicions that he may disrupt investigations.
In an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth from the US, Harpaz said over the weekend, "I saw the document, but I did not forge it and did not distribute it. If I knew how to write such a strategic document, I would change professions. They are looking for a scapegoat."
Harpaz is trusted by very high-ranking senior officials in the military establishment. He was among the first people to be investigated in the affair. The investigators even searched his house and confiscated a few items, but later returned them.
According to Harpaz, he has been aware of the document since April, but did not write nor distribute it.
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