Former Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh said in an interview on Wednesday that the police anticipated Benjamin Netanyahu would resign following his indictments for bribery fraud and breach of trust.
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In an interview on Israel's army radio, the retired commissioner said that since Netanyahu had spoken out clearly about the need for former prime minister Ehud Olmert to resign when he was facing criminal charges, it was impossible to believe he would now refuse to step down or that his party would not force him to do so, 'for the good of the country.'
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Netanyahu arrives in Jerusalem court to hear testimony in his corruption trial
(Photo: Olivier Fitoussi)
Olmert resigned as prime minister when he was still under investigation and before any charges were made. He ultimately served an eight-month prison term out of a 27-month sentence for accepting a bribe.
Alsheikh's comments caused immediate outrage from right-wing politicians who had long claimed that the case against the prime minister was trumped up. " We've said over the years that the charges were nothing but an attempt to remove Netanyahu from power and now even the commissioner admits it in his own voice," a spokesperson for Netanyahu's ruling Likud Party said adding that the former commissioner and his cohorts should be investigated.