MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer
MK Binyamin Ben-EliezerFlash 90

Ofir Ben-Eliezer, son of former minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer who passed away on Sunday, may not attend his father's funeral on Tuesday due to fear that the police may arrest him.

Ben-Eliezer's son, who currently lives abroad, is wanted for questioning in the corruption case his father was facing before his death.

Channel 2 News reported on Monday that the police clarified that if Ofir Ben-Eliezer chooses to come back to Israel for the funeral, he will not be arrested and would be permitted to take part in the funeral and the shiva seven-day morning period uninterrupted.

However, according to the report, law enforcement agencies may summon him for questioning at the end of the shiva and may issue an injunction forbidding him from leaving the country. As such, Ben-Eliezer's lawyers and prosecution officials believe the son will choose not to attend his father's funeral.

Ofir Ben-Eliezer's lawyer, Eitan Maoz, told Army Radio on Monday that his client would decide at the last moment whether to attend the funeral.

"I do not think that arrest is the only option in such a situation, there are other sanctions to which the police was non-committal," said Maoz.

He noted that an application was filed to allow Ben-Eliezer to enter Israel on humanitarian grounds, but added that it was not at all certain that if he arrives in Israel, he will be permitted to leave.

Binyamin Ben-Eliezer was placed on trial on charges of corruption. He was suspected of receiving money related to his public activities from various businessmen, and then using that money to purchase real estate, among other things.

The former Labor party leader was also suspected of exchanging foreign currency worth hundreds of thousands of dollars without reporting it to the authorities while attempting to hide the process.

Ben-Eliezer resigned from the Knesset and retired from public life as the corruption investigation continued.

He had previously ran for the position of President, but dropped out of the race several days before the vote due to the investigation.