The police are investigating suspicions that a former media adviser to Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman who disappeared six months ago played a key role in the corruption case in which party officials have been implicated. The Lahav 433 Major Crimes Unit has been investigating the case for the past year. Michael Palkov, considered a close associate of Lieberman's, apparently disappeared in early August during a trip to Ukraine. A source close to the investigation said that while Palkov was a person of interest whom the police seek to question, they have not declared him a missing person and therefore are not investigating the circumstances of his disappearance. The police allege that Palkov laundered money for the party through IzRus, an Israel-based Russian-language website he co-owns. Palkov's business partner and IzRus co-owner Alexander Goldstein was arrested in connection with the case two weeks ago. Investigators believe Goldstein had received funds from various Yisrael Beytenu officials, including Deputy Interior Minister Faina Kirshenbaum, under the guise of business transactions, in exchange for favorable coverage of the party on the website. Evidence collected so far suggests the website enjoyed a steady influx of considerable funds, and that the wages paid to its employees were considerably higher than those offered by other Russian media outlets in Israel. Palkov's family denied a recent report by the Russian news website Regnum, which said that in mid-August the Ukrainian army found his passport alongside the remains of a charred corpse. Israel Radio said Tuesday that reports by the Russian media suggested Palkov had faked his death. One relative said Palkov's disappearance was unrelated to the investigation against Yisrael Beytenu. "He had decided to change his life in the summer of 2013, after his divorce," she said. "As far as we know he is alive and well, but because he isnt interested in keeping in touch with us, we have no knowledge of his current whereabouts." Palkov's family said the passport number mentioned in the reports of his supposed death did not match his actual passport. They said his ties to Yisrael Beytenu were similar to those he maintained with other political parties. Commenting on the possibility that Palkov might have fabricated his death, the police said, "We do not investigate the alleged disappearance of individuals in Ukraine or anywhere else in the world." Meanwhile, Yesh Atid MK Boaz Toporovski was questioned by the Major Crimes Unit on Tuesday, in connection to former Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov's alleged part in the corruption scandal. The police suspect that Misezhnikov rigged official ministry tenders worth millions of shekels in favor of Yisrael Beytenu cronies between 2009 and 2013. A statement issued by Yesh Atid said, "MK Toporovski has nothing do to with this case and was simply asked to assist the police."
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Yisrael Beytenu official mysteriously vanishes amid corruption probe
Michael Palkov, a close associate of Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, disappeared in August in Ukraine • Police allege Palkov facilitated graft involving several top party officials • Palkov's family denies rumors of his death.