Police fail to trace senders of letter accusing Sa'ar of misconduct

Investigators cannot trace senders of letter sent to prime minister, accusing Minister Sa'ar of inappropriate sexual conduct; case closed due to insufficient evidence

Eli Senyor|Published: 05.09.13 , 19:20

Despite a lengthy investigation, police announced Thursday they were unable to determine who was behind a letter sent to the Likud Central Committee, alleging that Minister Gideon Sa'ar made inappropriate sexual advances toward a female employee in his office.

The police investigation attempted to trace evidence that would prove the alleged criminal offenses, but found "no suspicion of misconduct… by the minister regarding the context described in the letter."

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According to the police, the investigation included technological and forensic resources and lab research in order to find who sent the letter, but no evidence was found. During the investigation, two people were questioned for suspicion of forging the letter, but their involvement could not be proven.

"From the moment it was determined that the letter was forged, a great effort was made to trace the writers," a police investigator stated. "The effort was futile, but will force an extensive exploration of the phenomenon, beyond police investigation.

The letter was addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to prevent Sa'ar from keeping his ministerial office. The letter was initialed by a woman working for Sa'ar, but she denied to having written the letter.

In February, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein instructed police to conduct a preliminary investigation into the letter in order to determine its credibility, following a plea by The Movement for Quality Government in Israel.

After the investigation was launched, police determined that the letter was a "forged document meant to harm the minister," and was sent by someone other than Sa'ar's female employee whose name was initialed in the letter.