The questioning occurred in his Jerusalem home on Balfour Street. Officers from the National Fraud and Serious Crimes units were spotted arriving by car. They stayed at Netanyahu’s residence for “several hours,” according to The Guardian.
The prime minister has not been charged for any crimes, yet is a suspect in two investigations dubbed case 1,000 and case 2,000.
Case 1,000 involves allegations that Netanyahu’s family accepted bribes of luxury gifts, such as jewelry and pink champagne, from rich benefactors including Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan. Netanyahu is then suspected of using his political power to allegedly advance the bribers’ interests.
Case 2,000 investigates allegations that Netanyahu negotiated with a top Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, to limit its competition in exchange for giving him greater positive media coverage. The alleged deal is not believed to be active.
Netanyahu repudiated the accuracy of all allegations, and denied any involvement in the two cases. He claimed that his political opponents are targeting him.
Reports indicate that police may also request in the future that the prime minister give testimony in a third case, dubbed case 3,000. This case involves an alleged US$ 2.3 billion dollar deal for Israel to purchase boats and submarines from Germany.
In a television interview after Thursday’s questioning, Netanyahu’s lawyer said that the prime minister speaks honestly and openly about his successes and failures. “That said, he very much admires money. I know his weakness for wealthy people,” the lawyer added.
