Reports on the possible indictment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are now circulating. The office of the Prime Minister then released an official statement in contrary to the allegations, saying it is “baseless.”
Why will Netanyahu be indicted?
Israel’s former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has just released a statement predicting Mr. Netanyahu’s indictment due to the corruption charges filed against the latter. The Israeli leader has been reportedly facing three separate investigations. Two cases are directly linking Mr. Netanyahu while the third case transpired during his term.
One of the corruption charges links the prime minister for having accepted opulent gifts from James Packer, an Australian billionaire. Aside from Packer, he is also being questioned for accepting ostentatious gifts from various wealthy businessmen from other parts of the world.
Another on-going investigation accuses Mr. Netanyahu for bribing newspaper tycoon Arnon Mozes of Yedioth Ahronoth, which is the leading newspaper in Israel now. The former allegedly proposed a deal with the latter to minimize its negative reports against the himself in exchange for a bigger market share against its publication competitor.
Furthermore, the procurement of submarines and military defense boats from Germany is also currently subject to investigation.
The purchase was done during the term of Mr. Netanyahu. Although he is not directly linked to the case, others are still trying to speculate his involvement.
With all these corruption charges being pressed against the Prime Minister, Ya’alon made a brave statement that seems to confirm the issues.
In an interview with CNN, the former defense minister said, “I believe that at the end, we will witness indictment.”
Netanyahu will face corruption charges, former defence minister predicts https://t.co/RNFc6VPk5x #DSNAustralia
— DSN 💢 (@DannyShookNews) July 12, 2017
What was Packer’s involvement in the case?
In another report by ABC, Packer has confirmed to cooperate with the investigations regarding the issue.
The millionaire is ready to face questions accusing him to have given gifts, which allegedly cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, to Mr. Netanyahu and his family.
Moreover, Israeli publications have reported another aspect of the case. The police are also set to verify the allegation that Packer sought the help of the prime minister to acquire residency in Israel.
What was the response of the Prime Minister?
The office of the prime minister immediately released a statement regarding the allegations of Ya’alon. An official from the office of Mr. Netanyahu said the accusations of the former defense minister are unsubstantiated. The government officer explained that the gestures of Ya’alon are mere personal attacks on the prime minister.
The official statement detailed that Ya’alon was attempting to dishonor the decisions made on procurements for defense purposes. When in fact, the office of the attorney general has firmly stated the non-involvement of the Prime Minister in the issue.
Meanwhile, Ya’alon has previously announced his intentions to establish his own political party. Apparently, he has ambitions to take the Prime Minister’s seat as well.
