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Netanyahu Bribery Charges Recommended by Police

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  • Netanyahu Bribery Charges Recommended by Police

    Israel Police Recommend Charging Prime Minister Netanyahu With Bribery in Two Cases

    The Israeli police announced on Tuesday that there was sufficient evidence indicating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took bribes in two separate cases and acted "against public interests."

    The two cases are the so-called Case 1000 – in which Netanyahu is suspected of accepting lavish gifts from wealthy benefactors in return for advancing their interests – and Case 2000, which alleges that Netanyahu tried to strike a deal that would have provided him with positive coverage in Israel's second largest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, in exchange for hurting its free rival, Israel Hayom.

    According to the police, in Case 1000, Netanyahu received champagne, cigars, jewelry and clothing, by demand and systematically, valued at over one million shekels (around $280,000). The gifts he received from the Israeli-American Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan increased significantly once Netanyahu was elected prime minister.

    The police said that in return for the gifts, Netanyahu gave Milchan five specific benefits:

    He pushed for the so-called Milchan Law, which gives tax breaks to Israelis returning to Israel after spending time abroad – a break worth over million shekels for Milchan. Yair Lapid, who is now in the opposition but was Netanyahu's finance minister in the past, testified to this.

    He assisted Milchan in extending his U.S. visa and set up a meeting between Milchan and the then-director general of the Communications Ministry to advance the producer's interests in the Israeli television market.

    The prime minister also intervened to prevent the collapse of Israel's Channel 10 television, in which Milchan was a minority shareholder.

    Netanyahu helped further a deal tied to India businessman Ratan Tata, who was Milchan's business partner. The police said that Netanyahu "pushed the deal even though officials in the Defense Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office opposed the project."

    Australian billionaire James Packer was Milchan's partner but the police did not specify what benefits he may have received. The value of the gifts that Milchan gave to Netanyahu was 750,000 shekels, while those from Packer amounted to around 250,000 shekels. Packer began supplying gifts to Netanyahu from the time he and Milchan decided to divide the burden of the gift-giving between them.
    https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...obes-1.5812016
    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

  • #2
    Is bigross around anymore? Would be interesting to hear an Israeli perspective on this.

    Netanyahu aide 'agrees to turn state's witness'

    A close aide to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to testify against him in one of several corruption cases, Israeli media report.

    Schlomo Filber is said to have turned state's witness in what is being seen as a blow to the PM.

    Mr Netanyahu is alleged to have pressed regulators so as to help the Bezeq telecoms giant in return for favourable news coverage from one of its websites.

    He denies all corruption allegations, saying they are a political witch hunt.

    Mr Filber is credited with helping Mr Netanyahu win the last general election and was appointed by him to head the communications ministry.

    Mr Filber, who was arrested on Sunday and is being held with Bezeq executives, told Israeli police on Wednesday that he received explicit instructions from Mr Netanyahu to help Bezeq, Haaretz reports.

    For his part, Mr Netanyahu says all decisions about Bezeq were transparent and subject to oversight.

    Police have declined to comment officially on reports that Mr Filber has turned state's witness.
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43147842
    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

    Comment


    • #3
      Attorney general has to give the go ahead

      Comment

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