Israeli Adviser Found Guilty in Submarine Bribe Scheme
Court rules Tzahi Liber laundered nearly NIS 94,000 from a shipbuilder’s agent to a former PM staff chief.
By Lauren Bello ·
Yitzhak Liber has been found guilty of acting as a middleman for bribes in a major Israeli corruption trial.
The Tel Aviv District Court ruled on Monday that the communications adviser received almost NIS 94,000 from businessman Miki Ganor. Judge Dr. Shmuel Melamed determined the money was intended for David Sharan, the former chief of staff to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The court convicted Liber of brokering bribes, money laundering, and helping to create false accounting records. The verdict marks a key step in the long-running Submarine Affair, which involves Israel’s purchase of naval vessels from German company ThyssenKrupp.
The court identified two specific transfers that formed the basis of the conviction. The first payment of NIS 35,400 went to a company owned by Liber in November 2014. The second payment of NIS 58,500 was sent in August 2016 to a company owned by Liber’s business partner. Melamed found that these transactions were disguised as fees for consulting work that never actually happened. The use of separate companies and fake invoices allowed the payments to be booked as ordinary business expenses, hiding the financial link between Ganor and Sharan.
Liber, who was a close friend of Sharan, maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings. His defense team argued that the money covered genuine strategic consulting services. They also claimed that Liber did not pass Ganor’s funds to Sharan and that any small payments to his friend were just thank-yous for the introduction. The court rejected this narrative, relying on Liber’s own statements during police questioning. In those accounts, Liber admitted to receiving the money and handing it to Sharan in cash. He also acknowledged relaying information and requests between Ganor and Sharan regarding the submarine deals.
Judge Melamed noted that the proposed consulting arrangement lacked commercial logic. The parties exchanged only unsigned draft contracts, and Liber could not clearly explain how the payment amounts or timing were decided. The judge also addressed the defense’s claim that police pressured Liber during questioning. Melamed ruled that Liber controlled his own responses and consulted with his lawyer before making key admissions. This finding allowed the court to accept his police statements as reliable evidence, even though both Liber and Ganor later tried to walk back their initial accounts.
The case was tried separately from the main Submarine Affair proceedings involving Ganor and Sharan, which are still ongoing. Liber’s trial concluded with a conviction for one count of each offense, as the judge viewed the two payments as part of one continuous criminal act. Melamed took over the case after the death of the original judge, Benny Sagi. He based his decision on the existing record, as both sides agreed not to present new evidence.
