Tuesday, 12 June 2018

Police question Netanyahu in telecom-giant corruption case


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being questioned by police on Tuesday at his residence as part of the investigation into the so-called Case 4000.


Case 4000 involves suspicions that Netanyahu, in his role as communications minister from 2014 to 2017 (while he was also prime minister), intervened with regulators to help the Bezeq group, which is controlled by Shaul Elovitch. In exchange, Elovitch, a longtime friend of Netanyahu’s, allegedly ordered Bezeq’s Walla news site to provide favorable coverage of the prime minister and his wife Sara. 


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Investigators are expected to question Netanyahu over the testimony of Nir Hefetz, a former confidant turned state’s evidence, who gave police text messages and incriminating recordings allegedly indicating a quid pro quo relationship.  


Police are also expected to ask Netanyahu about text messages sent by Sara Netanyahu to Iris Elovitch, wife of Shaul Elovitch, in which she asked for coverage to be altered. 



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Last month, Haaretz revealed that Elovitch said he understood Netanyahu “was  willing to commit suicide for me.”


Elovitch made this comment in summer 2015, shortly after Netanyahu, who was also communications minister at the time, gladdened his heart by approving a merger between the telecommunications corporation and the satellite television company Yes. Elovitch also boasted that favorable coverage of Netanyahu on Bezeq’s internet news site, Walla, had helped the prime minister win that year’s election, adding that he “owes” Netanyahu because the latter worked on his behalf “against everyone.”


On Thursday, police plan to question two suspects in Case 2000 – Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Noni Mozes and MK Eitan Cabel (Zionist Union). The case involves alleged discussions between Netanyahu and Mozes over future government policies benefitting Yedioth in exchange for favorable coverage of the prime minister.


Cabel was the sponsor of the so-called “Israel Hayom bill,” which would have made it illegal to widely distribute a full-size newspaper free of charge. Owned by Sheldon Adelson and considerd pro-Netanyahu, Israel Hayom is the chief competitor of Yedioth.



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