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Police to Question Netanyahu’s Son in Corruption Probe | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Netanyahu’s Family, third wife Sara and sons Yair and Avner, vote in Jerusalem, Jan. 22, 2013. Reuters


Tel Aviv- A day after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife Sara was questioned by police, Israel Police’s Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit decided to question PM’s son Yair Netanyahu.

Yair is expected to be summoned by police for questioning as part of two ongoing criminal investigations into suspicions of graft and quid-pro-quo deals made by the prime minister.

The questioning of Yair is likely to focus on “Case 1000,” which centers on allegations Netanyahu received hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of cigars, champagne and other gifts, including having hotel rooms for Yair paid for by billionaire benefactors.

Yair Netanyahu has also been linked to “Case 2000,” which explores claims the prime minister promised to advance legislation to hobble the Israel Hayom daily if competing paper Yedioth Ahronoth gave him more favorable coverage.

Negotiations between Netanyahu and Yedioth publisher Noni Mozes were said to have begun over the prime minister’s efforts to prevent the publication of a story about Yair.

In the first case, police have seized receipts for gifts worth up to NIS 400,000 ($104,000) given to Netanyahu over a number of years by Israeli Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan.

For her part, Sara told interrogators that the Netanyahus also gave gifts to Milchans, arguing that friends exchange presents.

Israeli law prohibits public representatives from receiving any gift that isn’t “of small value and reasonable in context,” a somewhat ambiguous clause that will no doubt play a role in the Attorney General’s weighing of a potential indictment.

In this matter, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin and MK Eitan Cabel gave testimony to police on Sunday in a case involving recordings of Netanyahu and Mozes discussing an alleged quid pro quo deal.