Netanyahu to be questioned by police for 6th time
PM Netanyahu to be questioned by police for 6th time Sunday on illicit gifts allegedly received from businessmen Milchan, Packer; mounting testimonies collected in case from Milchan, his personal assistant, driver who ferried gift shipments.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to once again be questioned this coming Sunday at his residence in Jerusalem's Balfour Street. Investigators will question Netanyahu on Case 1000 concerning illicit gifts the prime minister and his wife Sara allegedly received from businessmen Arnon Milchan and James Packer.
Only ten days have elapsed since prime minister Netanyahu's last questioning, and it appears police efforts are gradually picking up steam with new testimonies coming to light recently, such as one by Hadas Klein, personal assistant to the moguls embroiled in the case.
Similarly to previous occasions, police investigators will question Netanyahu on the gifts affair in order to hermetically seal any loose ends, Channel 2 News reported Tuesday. The investigative team will also try to fit into the schedule some questions regarding the submarine affair, for which Netanyahu's confidants attorneys David Shimron and Yitzhak Molcho had already been questioned. Their ability to do so, however, depends on how quickly the investigation into Case 1000 progresses.
Netanyahu was questioned last week after an eight-month hiatus. It was the first time Netanyahu was confronted with the testimony of his former chief of staff Ari Harow, who signed a state witness agreement. The prime minister was also confronted with answers billionaire Arnon Milchan supplied police in London recently. Sources close to the investigation said then Milchan's responses strengthened suspicions against Netanyahu.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife allegedly requested, and received, expensive gifts from Milchan and Packer. Milchan, a personal friend of the prime minister, testified to being forced to acquiesce to incessant requests for thousands of shekels worth of cigars and champagne.
Milchan said the requests quickly became methodical, which led him to provide his staff with "carte blanche" to supply the couple with whatever they wished. Milchan's testimony was corroborated by Klein's, who was responsible for delivering the "goods" to the Prime Minister's Residence.
Channel 10 News published Tuesday further testimony supplied by a driver who ferried the shipments of gifts, which supported Klein's account. "Klein would tell me the Netanyahu couple are once again asking for a supply of champagne and cigars. I thought to myself the quantities were quite substantial," the driver told investigators.
A statement made on behalf of the prime minister said, "It appears someone is under quite a bit of pressure as the spate of false and tendentious reports increases with another such report. All of the allegations leveled against the prime minister and his wife are patently untrue. The couple acted in accordance with the law and, therefore, there won't be anything."
