Israel: Netanyahu cousin and associates to be charged with corruption
Israel’s state prosecutor plans to indict several associates of Benjamin Netanyahu, including his cousin, for corruption in relation to a contentious £1.5bn deal to buy German submarines.
The justice ministry said in a statement that seven men would be charged with various criminal offences, including bribery, money laundering and fraud, pending a pre-trial hearing.
While Netanyahu is not a suspect, he was questioned in the long-running and high-profile investigation, known as Case 3,000. Thursday’s announcement will increase pressure on the prime minister as he faces his own separate corruption indictments as well as a political battle that could end his decades-long career.
David Shimron, a relative of Netanyahuwho also worked as his personal lawyer, is accused of using his status and closeness to the prime minister to push Israel to buy nuclearcapable submarines and naval patrol boats.
The lawyer had received suspicious payments amounting to 270,000 shekels (£59,000) which were defined as a “reward for success” and for “opening the doors”, police said. He was given the money by an Israeli businessman and Thyssenkrupp’s former local agent, Miki Ganor, who first turned state witness but later recanted his testimony.
David Sharan, a former head of staff for Netanyahu, is also due to be indicted, as is the former head of the navy, Admiral Eliezer Marom.
Shimron will be charged with money laundering, while Ganor,
Sharan, and Marom will also face bribery indictments. All the suspects have denied any wrongdoing.
After the alleged scheme was uncovered, Thyssenkrupp suspended its ties with Ganor and launched an internal investigation that found no evidence of corruption in its handling of the 2016 contract. However, it said the results of the investigation were provisional.
Responding to Thursday’s announcement, the company said: “To the best of our knowledge, Thyssenkrupp or its employees will not be investigated in Israel. We are currently unable to provide any further information, even on detailed questions, because we have only taken all the information from the press.”
Separately, Israel’s attorney general has charged Netanyahu with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases.
The charge sheet accused the Israeli leader of accepting hundreds of thousands of pounds in luxury gifts from billionaire friends and for trading valuable favours with Israeli media and telecoms moguls for positive news coverage.
Netanyahu has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, alleging he is the victim of a witch hunt. After the indictments against him were announced, he launched a tirade against the police and judiciary, claiming the “politically motivated” charges amounted to an “attempted coup”.
The indictments arrived at a precarious time for Israel’s longest-serving leader. Netanyahu is scrambling to remain in power after failing to secure a clear win in two elections this year.
His wife, Sara, has also faced accusations of exploiting her position. In June, she was convicted of illegally misusing thousands of pounds of public funds for lavish meals, despite having an in-house cook provided by the state.