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A Beersheba court rejected a police request to place a doctor suspected in an alleged election-bribery scheme under house arrest on Sunday, according to Ynet’s original courtroom reporting. The decision concerns Saef Abu Reash, 38, who was arrested during the investigation into suspected payments intended to encourage votes for Ra’am.
Ynet reported that Judge Eran Tzabari ordered his release without conditions, rather than the seven days of house arrest sought by police. The judge also questioned a proposed restriction on internet use, noting that the doctor’s work depended on access to it and that investigators had not supplied an adequate reason for the ban.
The precise release terms are described differently by another outlet. Walla’s courtroom report says the doctor was released with restrictions, though without house arrest. Both accounts say the court rejected continued confinement at home. JBizNews has not obtained the written court order to resolve that difference.
Investigation continues; allegations are not findings of guilt
According to Ynet, the judge said the investigation was at the same point it had reached at the previous hearing. Police were separately seeking to extend the detention of two other suspects in the case. Those requests should not be confused with the ruling concerning Abu Reash.
Police have alleged that cash and Ra’am voting slips found during searches were connected to an intended vote-buying effort. Those are investigators’ allegations, not a conviction or proof that any vote was bought. The doctor’s lawyer challenged the legality of the search, Ynet reported.
The immediate development is the rejection of house arrest while the investigation continues. The reports do not establish that Abu Reash committed an offense, and the release decision is not a final determination of the underlying allegations.
JBizNews Desk | Jerusalem
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