- The intelligence source was recorded in this matter by the Tel-Aviv police. Police did nothing about it.
- Later, the intelligence source was murdered.
- The State Ombudsman refuses to investigate the case.
[hand signature - Rafi Rotem]
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Rafi Rotem
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OccupyTLV, October 29 - activists and Rafi Rotem - the Israeli Tax Authority whistle-blower - spent this evening about five hours (4:00-9:00pm) in Direct Action Civil Disobedience - a sit-in in the Tel-Aviv offices of the State Ombudsman - in protest of the Ombudsman's office refusal to accept Rotem's corruption complaint against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Rotem and the activists arrived at the Ombudsman's office during public hours (3:00-5:00 pm), but after a very short meeting of Rotem with a senior staff member, once she realized that the complaint pertained to Prime Minister Netanyahu, she left the room and refused to return and accept the complaint.
In response, Rotem and the activists refused to leave the office. Around 9:00 pm, hours after normal closing time, staff of the Ombudsman's office called the Israel Police, which evacuated Rotem and the activists from the location.
With it, Rotem and the activists promised to return during public hours and again attempt to have Rotem file his complaint against Netanyahu.
Today's events were not the first time that the State Ombudsman, Judge (ret) Joseph Shapira, refused to accept Rotem's complaints regarding corruption in the Tax Authority. For months, during the first half of the current year, the State Ombudsman issued a standing order to the security detail of his office to prevent Rotem's entrance to the office during public hours, in order to prevent Rotem from filing complaint regarding corruption in the Tax Authority.
In response, Rotem and the activists a arrived on a routine basis every Wednesday and recorded the refusal of the State Ombudsman's office to accept complaints.
The refusal of the State Ombudsman to accept Rotem's complaints should be deemed blatant violation of Human Rights - denial of Equal Protection under the Law.
During the summer, probably under pressure by media, the Ombudsman changed his approach. In a series of meetings between the staff of the Ombudsman's office and Rotem, a large volume of evidence was filed, pertaining to various corruption cases. [ii] The cases included, among others, the undermining and obstruction of tax investigations worth NIS tens and hundreds of millions against tycoon Nohi Dankner, against organized crime figure Reuven Gavrieli, and against Gibor-Sport Corporation, involving figures related to Netanyahu's Likud Party. [iii]
However, in the months that passed since the end of the series of meetings this summer, it became clear beyond doubt that the Ombudsman did not intend to examine Rotem's complaints at all. The Ombudsman refused to issue complaint numbers - a routine commencing procedure - a letter typically issued within a week or two after receipt of the complaint material, indicating the complaint number.
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