Prosecutor's Office Recommends Launching Criminal Probe Against Fifth Dimension

The Prosecutor's Office is looking into an affair involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival Benny Gantz and his former artificial intelligence company Fifth Dimension.

The Prosecutor's Office has recommended that a criminal probe be launched on suspicion that the company fraudulently received funds from the police.

The Kahol Lavan leader, who is not a suspect in the affair, charged that the investigation was an attempt to meddle in the electoral process.

"It is clear to me that this is political pressure, that the comptroller's report is being used for political reasons. The police should be investigated — not us," said Gantz in response in an interview on Israel's Kan Bet radio.

"Unlike Netanyahu, I respect the legal framework," Gantz added. "I am open to any scrutiny, and I am confident in my clean record. I have shown transparence to the public," he said.

According to assessments, the investigation will be opened after Israel's general election on March 2. The report that a probe will likely be opened was released by Channel 13 News on Wednesday.

Fifth Dimension dealt with the development of an artificial intelligence system that was meant to process intelligence and data related to the operations of law enforcement agencies, like the Israel Police.

A State Comptroller's report published in March determined that the police had acted against procedures when it promoted the contractual relationship with Fifth Dimension in return for 50 million shekels ($14.5 million) without a tender.

The company operated a pilot program for the police that cost four million shekels; at the center of the program was an artificial intelligence system for intelligence gathering that was intended for civilian law enforcement.

According to the Comptroller's report, the man who pushed for the cooperation with Fifth Dimension was then-police chief Roni Alsheikh, who had instructed for the pilot to be launched without a tender.

The State Comptroller's report also stated that Fifth Dimension had claimed to police that it existed for four years, when it was only founded two years prior to the collaboration. The company also claimed that it had a ready product, although it was still in development. Fifth Dimension further stated that it had five clients that were all security entities, when in fact it had no customers at the time.

The company was established in 2014, and its deputy CEO was ex-Mossad chief Ram Ben Barak, who is today a Kahol Lavan lawmaker. Fifth Dimension closed in 2018, and all of its employees were dismissed.