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Israeli police find 'sufficient evidence' to indict PM Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli police find 'sufficient evidence' to indict Benjamin Netanyahu
Jerusalem (CNN)Israeli
police said Tuesday there is "sufficient evidence" to indict Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on criminal charges in two corruption cases.
According
to a police statement published late Tuesday, authorities found
evidence of "accepting bribes, fraud, and breach of trust."
In
a televised statement, Netanyahu said that the allegations against him
would be dismissed, repeating what has become his catchphrase, "There
will be nothing because there is nothing."
In
a statement given moments before police issued their official findings,
he said: "I think about the good of the country not for personal
reasons of the press, but only for the country, and nothing will stop me
from doing this, not even the attacks against me, and believe me
they're never ending.
"And, therefore, today isn't different from any other days which I've been through in past 20 years."
When
asked whether the US had any reaction to the police statement, State
Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, "The only thing I have to
say about that is that the United States has a very strong relationship,
not only with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but also the Israeli
government. We're certainly aware of it, but we consider it to be an
internal Israeli matter."
Netanyahu is a suspect in two separate criminal investigations, known as Case 1000 and Case 2000.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied the allegations against him.
In
Case 1000, Netanyahu is suspected of having received gifts from
businessmen overseas totaling 1 million shekels (approximately
$280,000), including cigars, champagne, jewelry and more, from 2007
through 2016.
The case has focused primarily on Netanyahu's relationship with Israeli billionaire and Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan.
In
exchange for the gifts, police say, Netanyahu tried to advance a tax
break that would have benefited Milchan, though he was blocked by the
Finance Ministry.
"According to
suspicions, the Prime Minister worked to advance the extension of the
tax waiver for returning citizens over 10 years, a benefit that has a
considerable economic value for Mr. Milchan," the police statement said.
MK
Yair Lapid, one of Netanyahu's chief rivals who served as finance
minister during this period and was called to testify during the
investigation, called on Netanyahu to step down. "Even if the law does
not require the Prime Minister to resign, someone who has such serious
accusations against them, many of which he does not deny, cannot
continue to serve as Prime Minister with responsibility for the security
and well-being of Israel's citizens," Lapid said.
Police say they have enough evidence to indict Milchan on charges of bribery.
Milchan fired back at police, insisting he and Netanyahu have been friends since long before the period under investigation.
"The
recommendation disregards indisputable basic facts including -- the
ties between Mr. Milchan and Mr. Netanyahu started in the early years of
2000, when Netanyahu had no government role. This connection was
characterized by friendship between the two and their families. In this
framework, gifts were given from time to time by Mr. Milchan to the
Netanyahu family with no business interest," said Milchan's lawyer.
In
Case 2000, police say Netanyahu discussed "bartering" with Arnon "Noni"
Mozes, the owner of one of Israel's leading newspapers, Yedioth
Ahronoth, which is regularly critical of the Prime Minister.
In
exchange for more favorable coverage, Netanyahu promised to hamper the
circulation of a rival newspaper, in recordings obtained by police.
"In
his framework, what was discussed was the assistance of Mr. Mozes to
Netanyahu in establishing his stature as Prime Minister through positive
coverage in Yedioth Ahronoth that, in return for the Prime Minister
assisting Mr. Mozes in advancing economic interests of Yedioth Ahronoth
by an initiative to block the strengthening of Israel Hayom," the police
statement said.
Both Netanyahu and
Mozes have said these were not serious discussions; rather, they each
claim they were trying to expose the other's lack of trustworthiness.
Police say there is enough evidence to indict Mozes on charges of
offering bribes.
In a statement to Israeli media, the lawyer for Mozes said, "The cases against him will be closed."
Netanyahu has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence, insisting that investigators will find he did nothing wrong.
Attorney general
Police
will now pass the evidence to the attorney general, who will make a
decision on whether or not to indict the Prime Minister. That decision
is not expected imminently.
By
Israeli law, he is only required to step down if he is convicted and
that conviction is upheld through the appeals process to the High Court,
a process that could take years.
However, he could face public and political pressure to step down much earlier.
His coalition partners, so far, have backed him, saying they will not take down the government over a police conclusion.
Earlier
this week, Education Minister and head of the right-wing Jewish Home
party, Naftali Bennett, said, "I wish from the depths of my heart that
the PM will come out clean and will continue leading the State of
Israel. An indictment sheet seems far away, and certainly one does not
go for elections over [police] recommendations."
Echoing
his position, Finance Minister and head of the center-right Kulanu
party Moshe Kahlon said, "Let the [police] recommendations be published.
We will not avoid a decision, but I'm telling you right now, by law,
the law says until the stage of the attorney general, there is no need
to deal with it at all."
Both parties have enough seats in Netanyahu's 66-seat coalition to take down the government and force new elections.
In
an effort to deflect blame, Netanyahu has lashed out, attacking the
police, the media, the opposition and the left in rallies and on social
media. He has often called the investigations against him "fake news,"
echoing the language of President Donald Trump.
Last
week, Israeli Police Chief Roni Alsheich, in an interview with Israel's
Keshet news channel, said "powerful elements" were "sniffing" around
investigators working on the Netanyahu cases.
Firing
back, Netanyahu said he was "shocked by the insinuations" that he had
sent private detectives to tail police, arguing that it casts doubt over
the impartiality of the investigations.
In
a strike against the police chief after the interview, Likud MK Yoav
Kisch, a hardline supporter of Netanyahu from within the Prime
Minister's party, summoned Alsheich to a meeting of the Interior
Committee at the Knesset for Wednesday morning.
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