REUTERS-Police are expected
to question Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his official residence in
Jerusalem on Monday on suspicion of receiving gifts from
businessmen in breach
of his role as a public servant, Israeli media reported.
The move was
authorized by Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit, who decided after a
preliminary probe that there was sufficient evidence for a criminal
investigation, Haaretz newspaper reported. The questioning will take place on
Monday evening, Israel Radio said.
The police and
Justice Ministry would not confirm when the interview would take place or the
nature of the investigation, details of which have appeared in the media in
recent days. Netanyahu's office has denied any wrongdoing.
"All the
supposed affairs will turn out to be fiction," his family spokesman said
on Monday. "We are repeating: there will be nothing, because there is
nothing."
Photographers were
camped outside the heavily guarded residence, hoping to get pictures of
investigators arriving. Black screens were erected inside the gates of the
property to block the view.
Haaretz and other
newspapers said the probe related to gifts worth "hundreds of thousands of
shekels" ($1=3.85 shekels) given to Netanyahu by Israeli and foreign
businessmen.
Channel 2, a
commercial network, said the investigation was one of two cases now open
against the prime minister, although it said details of the second remained
unclear.
Netanyahu, 67, has
been in power on and off since 1996. He is currently in his fourth term as
prime minister and will become Israel's longest-serving leader if he stays in
office until the end of next year.
He and his wife,
Sara, have weathered several scandals over the years, including investigations
into the misuse of state funds and an audit of the family's spending on
everything from laundry to ice cream. They have denied any wrongdoing.
Netanyahu is not the
first prime minister to be questioned in a criminal case.
Ehud Olmert, who
held office from 2006 to 2009, is currently serving 18 months in prison after
being convicted of breach of trust and bribery in 2014.
Former prime
minister Ariel Sharon was questioned while in office in 2003 and 2004 over
allegations of bribery and corruption involving him and his two sons. In 2006,
his son Omri was convicted of corruption and served time in prison.
Netanyahu's police
appointment drew a barrage of commentary from the center-left opposition in
parliament, with politicians calling for him to go.
Ahead of a cabinet
meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu responded, saying: "I suggest the opposition
calm down."
Israeli commentators
pointed out that while Netanyahu may be questioned, it has happened many times
in the past and prime ministers have gone on governing, sometimes for years.
REUTERS
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