In a new and embarrassing twist to the alleged shoplifting affair which has forced former Governor of the Bank of Israel Professor Jacob Frenkel to withdraw his candidacy for a third term in office, Hong Kong authorities have provided their version of the 2006 incident, contradicting much of Frenkel's account.
The affair centered on an incident at the Hong Kong airport's duty free shop, where the former central bank chief was detained over what he claimed was a misunderstanding regarding a garment bag he had not paid for.
During his confirmation hearing before the Public Service Nominations Committee, Frenkel insisted that while he was detained by Hong Kong authorities for several hours, no charges were ever filed against him and once the authorities were satisfied that the matter was rooted in a misunderstanding, they had apologized for the inconvenience he had endured and thanked him for not demanding restitution.
However, an official letter from the Hong Kongs Department of Justice, obtained Wednesday by Ha'aretz, debunks Frenkel's version of the events, saying that not only was the former bank governor detained at the airport, he was arrested, formally charged and arraigned before a local magistrate's court the very same day.
Department of Justice spokeswoman Josephine Chan confirmed that Frenkel was arrested over allegedly shoplifting a garment bag on November 19, 2006, and that the case was officially closed on January 11, 2007, adding that her office "offered no apology to Dr. [sic] Frenkel and the Department of Justice never thanked him for not demanding restitution."
Chan did, however, corroborate Frenkel's explanation of the event -- that he had thought a colleague he was travelling with had paid for the garment bag before leaving the duty free shop. "Given the documents and materials submitted it was decided not to continue with the legal proceedings against him, and the issue ended on January 11, 2007," her letter said.
"Professor Frenkel presented the [Public Service Nominations] Committee with a letter by the deputy attorney-general of Hong Kong, in which he was informed that after careful consideration of the evidence authorities have decided to close the case," Attorney Eli Zohar, who represent Frenkel, said.
Commenting on the fact that according to the Hong Kong Department of Justice Frenkel was both arrested and charged, Zohar said, "This really isnt a big deal. It was a routine procedure and a very preliminary one at that, like the one we have in Israel, where, for example, we arrest a suspected car thief and release him the very next day as if nothing had happened. In Hong Kong the procedure involves an arraignment in the first 24 hours, but it is strictly procedural."
Zohar added that "this episode was depicted in full before the committee and supported by the relevant documents. There is no such thing as Frenkel's 'versions' of the event. There has always been only one version, which he has given in full."
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