The Controversy Surrounding the Elbit Case
It cannot be said with certainty.
However, an independent legal investigation into the so-called Elbit case suggests that there was “an actual connection” between the controversial order of weapons worth billions from the Israeli manufacturer Elbit and a settlement in a lawsuit filed by Elbit against the Ministry of Defence’s Material and Procurement Agency.
The suspicion is that the large Danish weapons order helped make the lawsuit disappear. However:
– It is a presumption and not a conclusion, according to the legal investigation.
This has led several parties to demand further investigation.
– The last word has not been said in this case. There are things we need to follow up on, says Lise Bech, defence spokesperson for the Denmark Democrats.
What the Legal Investigation Reveals
Along with several of her parliamentary colleagues, she was briefed on the investigation on Wednesday evening and had the opportunity to ask the lawyers behind it questions.
But she lacks answers when it comes to the most compromising element in the case: Is there a connection between the settlement and the weapons purchase?
The Case is Still Open
According to Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (V), the lawyers have not been able to draw clear conclusions because they have only been able to use written material in their investigation. They have not been able to question the employees involved in the case almost two years ago.
– We must of course investigate further. It cannot remain uncertain, the minister said at a press conference on Wednesday evening.
Both Lise Bech and SF’s Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen are now eagerly awaiting how this will be done.
– We take the investigation very seriously – also the fact that we do not get final answers to many things, which the lawyers themselves refer to that they actually cannot know because they cannot question or use oral sources, she says and continues:
– Therefore, the case is not closed for us, and the Minister of Defence knows that.