Close associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say that the one-time chief of staff who turned state’s witness in the corruption probe against the premier has no incriminating information and will not have a serious effect on the probe’s outcome, Channel 2 news reports.
“He has no recordings, no documents,” the unnamed sources reportedly said, in an attempt to thrown cold water on recent reports that Ari Harow’s testimony could provide information that will lead to an indictment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and his then-chief of staff Ari Harow arrives at a Likud faction meeting in the Knesset, November 24, 2014. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Harow, a former key associate of the prime minister, signed a deal on Friday to turn state’s witness, a day after police explicitly said for the first time that the investigations of Netanyahu revolve around suspicions of “bribery, fraud and breach of trust.”
According to a statement from the Israel Police, Harow is expected to receive six months of community service and a NIS 700,000 fine ($193,000) on breach of trust charges in exchange for testimony in two probes in which Netanyahu is a criminal suspect.
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