‘Jailed Belgian millionaire has ties with prominent Israeli politicians’ — report

A European Jewish millionaire — against whom Interpol issued an international arrest warrant and who has been held in a Montenegro prison for more than three months — has ties with several prominent figures in Israeli politics, Channel 2 reports.

Serge Muller, a Belgian citizen, was arrested in Montenegro immediately after the signing ceremony that sealed the sale of Montenegro Defense Industry (MDI) to Belgrade-based CPR Impex and Israeli ATL Atlantic Technology Ltd., on March 4.

He was arrested by the Antwerp Police just as he was attempting to cross into Albania. Muller is a well-known figure in Europe’s diamond capital of Antwerp. When he was arrested near the Albanian border, he was on his way to the airport in Tirana, en route to catch a flight to Israel, according to the website Euarasia Review.

According to a report on Channel 2, Muller is a personal acquaintance of former justice minister Yaakov Neeman as well as current Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. He reportedly donated funds to the Likud and also maintains ties with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and with Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, the station reports.

“Minister Erdan does not know the man and has never met him, Hundreds of people donated to the minister’s campaign and the donations were all legal,” according to a statement from Erdan’s office.

Levin’s office says that “the minister does not know Mr. Muller and was not aware of the allegations. Had he known, he would not have accepted the donations.”

The Muller family responds: “The family donated over the years to the Zionist enterprise, the State of Israel and those who seek its benefit, all according to the law and without expecting any recompense, even in retrospect.”