Israeli cops recommend charging their PM with bribery, fraud

Tel Aviv, Dec 3: Israeli police recommended indicting their Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara under the charges of bribery and fraud and breach of public trust in the corruption investigation known as Case 4000.

According Jerusalem Times Israel’s Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit gave his permission for the publication of the recommendations, and will make the final decision on whether to indict Netanyahu.

This recommendation is viewed as another setback for Prime Minister Netanyahu. Police had earlier recommended in February that the Prime Minister be indicted for bribery and breach of public trust in Cases 1000 and 2000.

However, Prime Minister Netanyahu has refuted the charges. Mocking at the police recommendations on Sunday to indict him and his wife Sara, Netanyahu said that they have no legal standing.

“The police recommendations have no legal standing,” Netanyahu said in response to Sunday’s announcement. “But they are not surprising. I am sure that even in this case, the relevant authorities, after examining the matter, will reach the same conclusion: that there will be nothing because there was nothing.”

Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich issued the recommendations on his last day in office – a parting shot in one of the most tense prime minister-police chief relationships in years.

But opposition leaders said they were taking the recommendations very seriously. Opposition leader Tzipi Livni said "Netanyahu must go, before he destroys law enforcement authorities in order to save his own skin." She said the people of Israel deserve leadership that is clean and therefore there must be elections.

"Netanyahu, your time is over," Zionist Union faction head Yoel Hasson said. "Israel must go to elections, not in May or November, but now!"

Minister of Agriculture Uri Ariel (Bayit Yehudi) said he feared the government would collapse if the Case 4000 recommendations prove to be true.

"I very much hope that the police recommendation will prove to be incorrect," Ariel said on Sunday. "I hope that the prime minister will be eligible and the government will continue to function for the benefit of the people of Israel."