Israeli police recommend indicting PM Benjamin Netanyahu on bribery charges

Israeli police recommend indicting Benjamin Netanyahu on bribery charges over corruption probe that saw prime minister ‘receive favourable media coverage’

  • Police said they have enough evidence for three charges against Netanyahu, 69 
  • The case surrounds claims his government traded favours with a telecoms firm
  • It is alleged the firm gave him positive coverage in return for regulatory favours 

Israeli police have recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on bribery charges involving Israel’s telecom giant.

Police said today thay have enough evidence to charge Netanyahu, 69, and his wife Sara with fraud, accepting bribes and breach of trust.

The case surrounds suspicions that Netanyahu’s government gave regulatory favours to telecoms company Bezeq in exchange for favourable coverage of the PM.   

Denying the charges today, Netanyahu said: ‘There was nothing because there is nothing’.  

Israeli police have recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) on bribery charges involving Israel’s telecom giant

The Israeli PM was questioned by police about the allegations in July while two of his aides were also arrested. 

It is claimed Netanyahu and his advisers supported regulations worth hundreds of millions of dollars to telecom company Bezeq.

In return, Bezeq’s subsidiary news site, Walla, allegedly provided positive Netanyahu coverage. 

Police have already recommended indicting Netanyahu on corruption charges in two other cases.  

One of them involves allegedly accepting gifts from billionaire friends, and the second surrounds claims trading positive media coverage for advantageous legislation for a newspaper.

Israel’s attorney general has not yet decided whether to prosecute Netanyahu over the allegations.  

The prime minister has denied any wrongdoing, dismissing the accusations as a witch hunt orchestrated by the media.  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk