Police recommend bribery charges against Israeli PM

Israeli police on Sunday recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife for bribery, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

In a statement, police said Netanyahu is suspected of taking bribes and acting while in conflict of interests when he awarded favours to media mogul Shaul Elovitch, who controlled Israel’s telecom company Bezeq Telecom Israel, in return for favourable coverage on the company’s news site.

Police said it found evidence that “Netanyahu and those close to him bluntly intervened, sometimes on a daily basis, with the content being published on the Walla news website, and sought to influence the appointment of senior employees (editors and reporters), while using their ties to Shaul and [his wife] Iris Elovitch.”

Police have already recommended indictment against Netanyahu in two other cases for corruption in two other cases.

The first case involves Israeli Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan, who was allegedly asked to purchase luxury items for Netanyahu and his wife.

The second relates to an alleged deal, again for favourable media coverage, with Arnon Mozes, publisher of Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing.

READ: Netanyahu questioned over corruption for 12th time