Israel: National Security Adviser under investigation on suspicion of receiving bribes

Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi is under investigation on suspicion of receiving bribes, Yedioth Ahronoth has reported. The newspaper said that Hanegbi was interrogated earlier this week on suspicion of receiving over $2,600 in exchange for a recommendation letter for a contractor. The interrogation at his home was supervised by investigators from the National Fraud Investigation Unit.

The incident dates back to 2017, when Hanegbi was Minister of Regional Cooperation and sent an official letter aiming to help Australian businessman Kevin Bermeister and businessman Amnon Rivek in a joint project to construct a new airport in occupied Jerusalem. According to the allegations, the two men transferred a sum of money to a third party to deliver it to the then minister.

In February 2022, regulatory authorities requested that the Attorney General be tasked with opening an investigation against Hanegbi on suspicion of taking bribes while working at the ministry, but the request was rejected in January 2023. There was then an insistence on investigating him, especially with his current position in light of the war in Gaza.

It said that the investigation revealed that Bermeister and Rivek coordinated the transfer of funds to Hanegbi in a WhatsApp conversation and one of them noted that the bank refused to send the funds intended for him, so the money was delivered personally.

The Prime Minister’s Office, under which the investigations body operates, said that the investigation into Hanegbi “has nothing to do with the Prime Minister or the National Security Council,” noting that the claims “have already been made as part of a civil dispute between two contractors.”

Hanegbi has denied the allegation.

This incident is part of a series of investigations into corruption and the leaking of military secrets within Netanyahu’s circle. The occupation forces arrested an army officer suspected of involvement in leaking documents to influence the position on the negotiations regarding the Israeli captives in Gaza. The army did not disclose the identity of the officer, but confirmed that he was arrested while he was on leave.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation revealed on Sunday that an advisor to Netanyahu and three other people have been arrested in the security leaks case.

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