Police are likely to recommend an indictment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for allegedly accepting illegal gifts, Israeli media report.
Netanyahu is accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in gifts — including champagne, suits and exclusive cigars — from wealthy businessmen.
Police are wrapping up the investigation and will interview Netanyahu one more time before issuing a recommendation in the next few weeks. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing in interrogations related to the so-called Case 1000.
“It’s all nonsense,” a Netanyahu representative told Haaretz in October. “Since Netanyahu’s victory in the last elections and even before, hostile elements have used heroic efforts to attempt to bring about his downfall, with false accusations against him and his family.”
Police are also looking into separate allegations that Netanyahu accepted more than $1 million in gifts from French businessman Arnaud Mimran, who is serving an eight-year prison sentence for committing carbon-tax fraud. Mimran claimed he donated a large sum of money to Netanyahu’s election campaign in 2009, which the prime minister denies. Netanyahu has admitted to accepting $40,000 from Mimran in 2001.
A decision from Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to follow the recommendation will not come until September, according to i24 News.
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