Israel may charge 4 for evading taxes on $11m of income from defense deals in Georgia under UNM gov’t

The State Prosecutor’s Office of Israel for Tax and Financial Crimes has plans to bring charges against four individuals, including a close relative of Georgia’s former, currently wanted defence minister David Kezerashvili, for evading taxes on $11 million in income from defense deals in Georgia under the United National Movement government between 2007 and 2009. 

The Times of Israel reports that Gal Hirsch (a former IDF general and withdrawn candidate for police commissioner), Oded Shachnai, Yaniv Adam (manager and father of famous Israeli singer Omer Adam) and Mikhael Benimini (who is Kezerashvili’s relative) - were partners in Defensive Shield, a company that provided defense advice and military training and brokered arms sales to Georgia, and also provided services to other countries between 2007 and 2009.

The state prosecutor alleges the four business partners set up a spiderweb of companies and bank accounts in Israel, Georgia, Switzerland and Guernsey which they used to receive income from Georgia’s Defense Ministry, divvy it up among themselves, and hide it from Israel’s tax authorities,” the media outlet said. 

The Israeli Times says that Benimini was recently running a binary options and cryptocurrency call center from Albania.