He’s been investigated for over a year for alleged bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, including for accepting about $1.1 million from accused French fraudster Arnaud Mimran in 2009.
His chief of staff and close confident for years, Ari Harow, signed an agreement to turn state’s witness against him. As the saying goes, he knows where the bodies are buried.
A gag order in place until September 17 prevents information about the case from coming out.
On Thursday, a statement from Netanyahu’s office denied wrongdoing, “reject(ing) the unfounded claims made against the prime minister. The campaign to change the government is underway, but it is destined to fail, for a simple reason: there won’t be anything because there was nothing.”
The same day, Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit said “we’re making progress.” The prosecution is “working with police” on getting Harow to turn state’s witness.
He’s suspected of bribery, fraud, breach of trust, and money laundering. A US-born Jew, he emigrated to Israel with his family in 1985.
He was first linked to financial irregularities in the so-called Bibi Tours scandal years earlier – involving double-billing and luxury travel financed by foreign businessmen and groups, without appropriate accounting and approval.
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