Haifa District Court Judge Moshe Gilad and his wife, Acco City Council member Aviva Gilad, are suspected of tax violations in the UBS Swiss bank affair. Like dozens of other suspects questioned up until now in the affair, various tax offenses concerning a secret bank account held in Switzerland are attributed to Moshe and Aviva Gilad. Two months ago, the gag order was lifted against reporting that the Israel Tax Authority has been conducting an undercover and far-reaching investigation into unreported accounts held by Israelis at Swiss banks, with UBS occupying center stage. According to the Tax Authority, information and lists obtained show that large banks in Switzerland are managing accounts for thousands of Israelis amounting to hundreds of millions of euros.
The judge and his wife were included in a list of clients seized from Roni Elias, the key suspect in the affair. Elias, an investment consultant at UBS Switzerland, is suspected of handling the bank's clandestine Swiss accounts for hundreds of Israelis. Aviva Gilad was questioned under caution a few months ago, while Judge Gilad was questioned under caution last week. Tax Authority investigators conducted a search of the couple's home. Immediately after being questioned, Judge Gilad announced that he was taking a voluntary vacation.
Judge Gilad's lawyers, Adv. Dr. Jacob Weinroth and Adv. Amit Hadad, said, "We trust and are confident that when the investigation is completed, it will emerge that our clients' conduct was impeccable. At the same time, Judge Gilad has decided to go on vacation until the matter is fully clarified. We expect the investigative authorities to finish their work as soon as possible, given these circumstances."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 30, 2014
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