Court ruling10/26/2026

Tzachi Lieber Convicted of Brokering a Bribe in Case 3000

The Tel Aviv District Court convicted consultant Yitzhak (Tzachi) Lieber of brokering a bribe, money laundering, and aiding in the preparation of false records in accounting books. The court determined that, through him, Miki Ganor transferred 93,900 shekels to David Sharan.

Key facts

•Court: Tel Aviv District Court
•Judge: Shmuel Melamed
•Case: Case 3000, the “submarine affair”
•Total amount: 93,900 shekels
•Payments: 35,400 and 58,500 shekels
•The decision's publication date in the source was specified only as Monday

How the Money Was Transferred

According to the account accepted by the court, Miki Ganor, the representative in Israel of the German corporation ThyssenKrupp, transferred 35,400 shekels to Lieber in November 2014 and 58,500 shekels in August 2016. The payments were transferred through companies and documented in invoices for consulting services, but the court determined that no actual services were provided that could explain these sums. The money was withdrawn in cash and transferred in several installments to David Sharan, who held public positions.

What the Verdict Was Based On

Judge Shmuel Melamed found credible Lieber's confession, which was given to the police in September 2017, even though the defendant later recanted it. This testimony was supported by Ganor's earlier account, the “consultants table,” email correspondence, financial documents, and records kept by Ganor's employees. The court rejected the defense's claims of improper pressure during the interrogation and that the money was payment for genuine consulting services.

The Legal Assessment

The court determined that Sharan was a public servant at the time of both payments: in November 2014, he served as secretary of the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EAPC), and in August 2016, he worked at the Prime Minister's Office. Disguising the payments through invoices for professional services made it possible to present them as tax-deductible expenses, and this also served as the basis for the charges of conducting a transaction in prohibited property and a tax offense. The court classified the two money transfers as a single continuing offense of brokering a bribe, rather than as two separate incidents.

What Remains Undecided

The proceedings against Lieber were conducted separately from the main case in the submarine affair, which is being heard before Judge Tali Haimovitz. This decision is not a conviction of Sharan: he did not testify at Lieber's trial, and his case is being heard separately. The source does not report the sentence imposed on Lieber.

What this means for you

The decision shows that presenting a transfer as payment for consulting does not preclude criminal liability if the court determines that the documents were intended to disguise a transfer of money to a public servant. In assessing such events, the court may rely on initial confessions and a body of circumstantial documents, even if those involved later changed their testimony. The specific sentence imposed on Lieber is not stated in the source.

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