More suspects are interrogated in Margalit Tzanani case

Yaron Ilan, a television and radio host, was interrogated by police on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in the extortion of talent manager Assaf Atedgi. Ilan joins a growing list of suspects in the extortion case, the primary suspect being singer Margalit Tzanani ("Margol").

The case began with the Aug.16 arrest of Tzanani. She is accused of extorting her manager Assaf Atedgi by hiring thugs from a criminal gang to issue threats.

During his interrogation, Ilan told police that he is close to Tzanani, whom he said tried to help him professionally, but denied any involvement in the extortion of Etedgi. The police, however, were reported to have taped conversations that prove Ilan's involvement in the crime. They also were said to have proof of a meeting between Ilan, Tzanani, and known criminal Michael Hazan.

After his interrogation, Ilan was released. Ilan's friends said that since Tzanani's arrest, he has been depressed and worried. According to friends, in the past Ilan has been known to take loans from people involved in the grey market.

All chatter about Tzanani's celebrity status contributing to her arrest was halted on Wednesday after District Court Judge Abraham Tal rejected her appeal to be released from prison pending her possible trial.

During the hearing, Cmdr. Alon Grossman, who is leading the investigation, said, "The police view Margalit Tzanani as a primary partner in the prolonged extortion. She ran the extorters, and told them to take various actions to make the extortion more effective, and, when necessary, lowered the level of pressure and threats, all without the knowledge of Etedgi. Ms. Tzanani turned to criminals whom she knew well. She knew what they were capable of, and how they intended to influence Etedgi. She discussed with them how she should proceed in regards to Etedgi. We define her actions as criminal, and we are not referring to her manner of speech, like her attorney mentioned. We do not build a case against someone based on their use of slang, but, having said that, when Ms. Tzanani mentions the 'Hawa' that must be paid, and what would happen if it is not paid, there is no doubt these are significant words indicating extortion. What I offered here is just a small piece of a huge puzzle containing a thousand pieces."

Margol's attorneys, Sassi Gaz and Shahar Hetzroni, tried to convince the court on Wednesday that Tzanani should be released to house arrest and that she would not try to thwart the investigation against her. Grossman foiled that part of the appeal, however, by telling the court that some people are already trying to thwart the investigation even with the suspects in custody.

At first, in response to police questions, Tzanani denied any criminal context to her conversations with Michael Hazan, who is known to be crime boss Amir Mulner's right-hand man, and Ofer Amar, who together with Hazan allegedly carried out the extortion for her. Later, in consultation with her attorneys, Tzanani decided to remain silent and stopped cooperating with interrogators.

At the end of Wednesday's hearing, Judge Abraham Tal denied Tzanani's appeal, saying that "perusing the material gathered during the ongoing investigation leads one to be reasonably suspicious that the appellant is guilty of the crimes she is accused of. It also creates suspicion of obstruction of the investigation itself."

The remand periods for all detained suspects in the case are scheduled to end on Thursday. So far, these suspects include Tzanani, her son Asaf Lavi, and both Hazan and Amar. Police will attempt to complete their investigation by then before requesting an extension of their remand until a possible trial. They are expected to submit a statement to the court on Thursday, which will include the prosecution's intent to issue indictments against each of the four suspects.

The Knesset gets involved

The topic of Tzanani's arrest reached the Knesset as well on Wednesday. MK Nissim Zeev (Shas) asked the Knesset plenum to drop the current discussion and instead focus on the singer's case. "I turn on the news every hour, and all I hear about is Margalit Tzanani. Tzanani in the morning, Tzanani in the evening. They are slicing her all day long. We have really reached rock bottom," Zeev said.

MK Nachman Shai (Kadima) supported Tzanani. "Margol was treated appallingly," Shai said, referring to a leaked video clip, released by newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, of the star being processed at the Neve Tirza prison. MK Miri Regev (Likud) agreed and said, "She was mistreated."

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