"Between 1990 and 1994, Nahum Manbar supplied Iran with the means of manufacturing chemical agents for offensive purposes, in exchange for $16 million. He thus provided assistance to an enemy in its war with Israel." This is claimed in the charge preferred today against Manbar in the Tel Aviv District Court.
Manbar is accused of the offences of assisting an enemy in its war against Israel, passing on information to an enemy with intent to harm State security, attempting to assist an enemy in its war against Israel, perverting the course of justice, and breach of a no publicity order.
The prosecuting attorney, Adv. Devora Hen, head of the criminal department for special matters at the State Attorney’s Office, claims that, during 1990, Manbar made contact, via an Iranian go-between known as Hashemi, with Dr Majid Abasfur, who was then head of Iran’s chemical weapons project, a department in the Iranian Defence Ministry, and technical and industrial adviser to the president of Iran.
Abasfur requested Manbar to sell Iran the means of manufacturing chemical agents. These means included, inter alia, source materials for manufacturing chemical agents, know-how, equipment for setting up plants for manufacturing chemical agents, assembling equipment in these plants, and training operating crews for these plants.
According to the prosecution, at the end of 1990 a contract was signed between Manbar and Abasfur, under which Manbar undertook to fulfill Abasfur’s request to supply means of manufacturing chemical agents. The parties used code names with the aim of concealing the substance of the communications between them.
From 1991 to 1993 Manbar met Dr Abasfur on a number of occasions in Europe. At these meetings he reported on progress with the projects, and received a list of demands relating to shortcomings in the execution of the projects. Revisions to the projects were drafted and signed, and Manbar received payments for completed stages of the projects under the main contract.
The prosecution claims that Manbar supplied Iran with the means of manufacturing chemical agents for $16 million, and source materials for making mustard gas and nerve gas. Manbar’s actions helped a hostile power and harmed the security of the State.
The second charge states that, during the 40 day period of his arrest, the investigating authorities stretched the rules by allowing Manbar to meet his Israel business manager, Yossi Light, to enable him to give him urgent instructions for the purposes of running his businesses. This was meant to reduce as far as possible the damage to Manbar’s businesses during his arrest. In order to ensure that Manbar would talk to Light only about business matters, the meetings took place in the presence of one of the police officers on the investigating team.
The prosecution claims that during one of the meetings close to the end of Manbar’s period of arrest, he held several sheets of paper in his hand intended for Yossi Light and containing business instructions. On that occasion Manbar abused the trust the police officer placed in him and secretly passed a note to Light concealed between the sheets of paper.
The note contained instructions to Light to meet a woman living in England who was connected with Manbar in carrying out the chemical agent deals with Iran. On the note were instructions which Light was supposed to pass on to that woman at this meeting with her. According to the prosecution, these instructions were intended to mislead the investigation.
Some time after receiving the note Light burnt it in his bathroom, knowing that the very handing of the note to him in those circumstances was illegal. Light flew to England, met the woman as Manbar told him to do, handed over Manbar’s instructions, and even received from her two documents connected with the investigation into chemical agents.
Manbar’s attorney, Adv. Amnon Zihroni, said that his client denies the charges and claims that they amount to a plot and conspiracy against him.