They Pressured the Complainant to Lie in Testimony: Additional Suspects in the Investigation Against MK Milvitzky
source:
https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/r1nvy2mpgg
They Pressured the Complainant to Lie in Testimony: Additional Suspects in the Investigation Against MK Milvitzky
Attorney Tzvi Galman and Dr. Eli Vinokur, who worked with the “Kabbalah La’Am” organization, were questioned on suspicion of obstructing justice after allegedly pressuring the complainant and signing the false affidavit. The lawyer stated: “There is no blemish on my work.”
Amid the suspicions against MK Hanoch Milvitzky, Lahav 433 questioned two additional suspects in the case last Friday — whose names are published here for the first time today (Monday): Attorney Tzvi Galman, suspected of signing the complainant’s false affidavit, and educator Dr. Eli Vinokur, who allegedly pressured her to give the false testimony.
According to the suspicions, Attorney Galman signed the false affidavit submitted by complainant "A" to the court and represented “Kabbalah La’Am” in a defamation case (in which she was required to testify and was coached to lie under oath). Dr. Vinokur, an educator in the organization and an academic, is suspected of pressuring her to submit the false testimony. Both are suspected of obstruction of justice.
- Bnei Baruch’s response to testimony about rape in the movement’s leadership: “They are trying to extort us”
- “A Knesset member approached me, distraught; I contacted information security to have it deleted from all the servers”
- The judge dismissed the lawsuit of Hanoch Milvitzky and Bnei Baruch and sharply criticized them
- “I understand your association likes to litigate a lot. This isn’t going in a good direction for you”
MK Milvitzky is also suspected of being involved in the false testimony — and even of rape. The complainant claimed she was raped by him after giving the testimony. At this stage, the police are not attributing sexual offenses to Galman and Vinokur, but it is possible that they were aware of such incidents, whether involving the Knesset member or not.
Meanwhile, ynet has learned that Lahav 433 is considering summoning another woman to testify in the case — one who has never filed a complaint but claims the MK tried to assault her over a decade ago at her home.
Vinokur, 41, currently serves as Vice President for Academic Development and Head of the Department of Social-Communal Education at the Gordon Academic College. He is a graduate of the “Ofakim” program at Tel Aviv University and the “Mandel” excellence program. His doctoral dissertation at the University of Haifa focused on issues of local identity and global citizenship in education. As part of his postdoctoral studies, he was a visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York and Oxford University in England. He has initiated innovative curricula in the fields of community education, social leadership, and public diplomacy and participated in shaping national education policy.
Attorney Galman specializes in defamation and media law and regularly publishes articles in the field. He routinely assists Knesset members and government officials in drafting legislation related to defamation and lectures in academia. He stated in response:
“I was summoned for questioning regarding testimony submitted to the court in the form of an affidavit in 2018, in a case my office handled for a client. I clarified in the investigation that I acted professionally and in full accordance with all existing rules and norms related to taking testimony in a legal proceeding. I provided the police with all documents that could assist the investigation and will continue to cooperate fully. I believe the matter will soon be clarified and it will be found that my work was entirely proper.”
