Bezeq owner understood his influence over Netanyahu, recordings reveal

The smoking gun? One of the key witnesses of case 4000 former Walla CEO, Ilan Yeshua, gave the police recordings where he spoke to Shaul Elovitch – the businessman and the owner of the company – about the efforts they exerted, in order to allegedly assist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in hopes of getting anti-trust regulators to approve Bezeq’s merger with TV provider Yes.

Channel 12 published parts of the recordings, from which it could be inferred that the businessman understood the assistance he gave Netanyahu and his efforts regarding the merger deal – which he stood to benefit from – led to the allegation against him and the prime minister.

Bezeq acquired Yes from Eurocom – a company controlled by brothers Shaul and Yosef Elovitch. The Elovitches are also major shareholders in Bezeq, the parent company of Walla. That raised questions of a conflict of interest and led to a police probe.

“What he did… I would never have believed he could do those things”, Shaul Elovitch said to Yeshua speaking about Netanyahu. “He goes against everyone. It’s in everything, no matter how small. I feel like I owe him something all the time.” Yehsua then responds: “That’s why I went to work today.”

Many credit Netanyahu’s 2015 election win to the infamous video, in which, Netanyahu warned the ‘Arabs are on their way to the ballots.’ It was published and heavily featured on the Walla site during the day of the election.

Elovitch said: “I heard it from someone, that doctor (Dr. Tzvi Berkovitch) who used to be his friend, the one who’s always in their house – he said that he (Netanyahu) is willing to kill himself for me” and on that Yeshua answered: “Listen, you gave him the election. That’s no joke”. Elovitch continued: “They’re not unreasonable demands they’re asking – it’s perfectly normal.”

“Look, in the end, we’re a friendly organization,” Yeshua told the businessman. “I look at the site; I’m looking for Sarah (Netanyahu).” Elovitch answered: “The clerks are still there (In the communications’ office). Once he (Filber) is there – then it’s all completely different, and he screams at everyone […] once there’s a meeting without him […] everything changes again […] He’s goes in like a bulldozer, turn everything upside down, but it’s rough. He (Berger) left, you know what he left there.” Yeshua responded knowingly: “Every possible trap.”

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in response: “Unlike what is implied from the recording you’ve (Channel 12) shown tonight, the Walla coverage of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was and is hostile, and has become worse especially during the critical time of the election night. Amazing how the police did not even bother to investigate the doctor Elovitch is talking about.

“But in the statement he released,” Netanyahu’s office continued. “He said that the doctor never spoke to Elovitch. Even state witness Nir Hefetz, who has been shown to have been extorted and threatened, said in his testimony after becoming a state witness: ‘Elovitch didn’t bother Netanyahu.'”

“From your recordings,” the statement added. “It’s obvious that this is a private chat between Elovitch and Yeshua isn’t at all related to the PM. The story that Elovitch made up about the doctor is more proof that all of his conversations with Ilan Yeshua, on which the case against Netanyahu is based on, are worthless. This is how right-wing Elovitch justifies himself to the left-wing Yeshua and the leftist coverage Yeshua led at Walla!”

Dr. Tzvi Berkovitch’s responed: “I have never spoken to Elovitch and nor did the PM speak to me about Bezeq or Elovitch”.

Shaul Elovich’s attorney, Jacque Hen, also responded saying: “The dam has been breached and the flood of leaks is overflowing. Polluting what little is still left of due process. Three years of interrogation room leaks with no response from the heads of enforcement, which have brought about these rotten results. The public already understands that it shouldn’t count on small leaks and parts of transcripts which are taken from thousands of pages of papers and testimonies and which prove, as was said in the hearings, that Mr. Elovitch did not commit the offense of which he is accused.”

This report was translated by Jerusalem Post Staff.