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Israel PM Netanyahu dismisses bribery allegations

By BBC
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Netanyahu hits back at police over bribery allegation
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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hit back after police said he should be charged over alleged bribery cases.

He called the allegations "baseless" and said he was certain the truth would be revealed.

His government is "stable", he has insisted, despite criticism from a key member of his coalition.

A police statement on Tuesday said there was enough evidence to indict him for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in two separate cases.

The attorney general's office could take months to decide if Netanyahu should face charges.

 

The 68-year-old is in his second stint as prime minister and has served in the role for a total of 12 years.

What was Netanyahu's response?

Benjamin Netanyahu gave a defiant rebuttal of the allegations in a statement broadcast on Israeli television on Tuesday evening.

"Over the years, I have been the subject of at least 15 inquiries and investigations," he said.

"Some have ended with thunderous police recommendations like those of tonight. All of those attempts resulted in nothing, and this time again they will come to nothing."

At an event in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, he repeated his insistence that he would not be resigning.

"I can reassure you that the coalition is stable," he said. "Neither I nor anyone else has plans for elections. We're going to continue to work together for the good of Israeli citizens until the end of the term."

What are the allegations?

One case centers on an allegation that Mr. Netanyahu asked the publisher of an Israeli newspaper, Yediot Aharonot, for positive coverage in exchange for help in reining in a rival publication.

Police said the editor of Yediot Aharonot, Arnon Mozes, should also face charges.

Mr. Mozes's lawyer said he had a good defense, and that after further examination of the evidence "it will become clear that he did not commit a criminal offense".

The second allegation centers on a claim that Mr. Netanyahu received gifts worth at least a million shekels ($283,000; £204,000) from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and other supporters.

The Jerusalem Post says the gifts included champagne and cigars and were given in exchange for help getting Mr. Milchan a US visa.

Mr. Milchan, the producer of films including Fight Club, Gone Girl and The Revenant, should face bribery charges, police said.

The police statement said that Mr. Netanyahu, after receiving gifts, pushed for the Milchan Law, which would have ensured that Israelis who return to live in Israel from abroad were exempt from paying taxes for 10 years.

The proposal was eventually blocked by the finance ministry.

Mr. Milchan's lawyer said the police recommendation "ignored basic facts". His client and Mr. Netanyahu were long-time friends, he said, and "in this context, gifts were given to the Netanyahu family from time to time, without any business interest".

Police say Mr. Netanyahu is also suspected of fraud and breach of trust in a case involving Australian billionaire James Packer.

Israel's Channel 10 reported in December that Mr. Packer told investigators he gave the prime minister and his wife Sara gifts.

A spokesman for Mr. Packer told Reuters "there is no allegation of wrongdoing" on the part of his client, and both Israeli and Australian police had "confirmed he was interviewed as a witness, not a suspect".

Israeli media say Mr. Netanyahu has been questioned by investigators at least seven times.

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