BICOM

Israeli Police have concluded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife should be charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in one of the corruption cases against the Prime Minister.

The recommendation is part of “Case 4000,” in which Netanyahu allegedly approved regulations to benefit Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder in telecoms company Bezeq, in exchange for positive media coverage from Elovitch’s Walla news website.

In 2015, Bezeq’s merger with Yes, a satellite operator, was approved by the Communications Ministry, at the time under the control of the Prime Minister. Elovitch earned hundreds of millions of shekels in the deal.

The police statement said: “The prime minister and his associates intervened in a blatant and ongoing manner, and sometimes even daily, in the content published by the Walla news website, and also sought to influence the appointment of senior officials (editors and reporters) via their contacts with Shaul and Iris Elovitch.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu described the police investigation as “a witch hunt” that has been “skewed from the start. A year ago, before even opening the investigations, (the police) decided what the outcome would be and leaked their conclusions,” he argued.

Speaking at the Likud Hanukkah party in Tel Aviv, he told a supportive crowd: “I didn’t give anything to Elovitch and I didn’t get anything from Elovitch. Not only did Elovitch not get anything from me during my tenure as communications minister, he lost a fortune.”

“I wasn’t surprised the recommendations were published, or that they were published today,” he added. Sunday was police commissioner Roni Alsheich’s final day in office.

Zionist Union Chairman Avi Gabbay said that Netanyahu’s speech was ‘replete with lame excuses’ and showed again ‘just how out of touch with the truth he is.’ Gabbay said: “We are tired of a prime minister who is drowning in criminal investigations and attacks the gatekeepers whom he himself appointed,” he said. Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid said Netanyahu’s attack against the police was ‘a danger to the rule of law and a critical blow to Israel’s unity.’

The Attorney-General, Avichai Mandelblit, must now make the final decision as to whether or not to indict the Prime Minister. He is expected to announce his decision by the end of March 2019.