Leviev Employee Commits Suicide, Reports Say

RAPAPORT... A bookkeeper at Lev Leviev's diamond business jumped to herdeath from the company's office at the Israel Diamond Exchange on Tuesday,according to local media. The 42-year-old woman had been questioned by police in aninvestigation into an alleged crime ring at LLD Diamonds, Globes reported.She was one of nine employees of the firm arrested since the probebegan, the report said. "We received with shock and deep sadness the announcement ofthis difficult loss of a company employee," LLD said in a statement reported byGlobes. "We will take every possible action in our power to assist inthe investigation of her death, and in order to put an end to this difficultsituation, in which the rights of the suspects are being trampled on, causingirreversible damage, out of a desire to make media headlines." The operation first came to light when authoritiesapprehended a diamond smuggler at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airportearlier this year. After questioning him, as well as a second suspect, policebelieved they had uncovered a vast diamond-smuggling operation at the company.They subsequently detained nine people including Leviev's son and brother, andhave released some of them, Globes said. Israeli police declined to comment on details of theprobe, but said there were "material inaccuracies" in an "announcementpublished on behalf of the company involved in the police investigation." "The Israel Police constantly acts with the required sensitivity,while strictly observing the dignity and rights of suspects and those underinterrogation, alongside taking various investigative actions intended to bringperpetrators to justice," a police spokesperson told Rapaport NewsTuesday. "We regret the tragic results of the event that took placeat the Ramat Gan diamond exchange," the spokesperson added. Israeli authorities want to question Lev Leviev about thesmuggling operation as well, but he is currently outside the country, accordingto reports.