PM’s former chief of staff to turn state’s witness — report

Ari Harow, a former chief of staff and aide to Benjamin Netanyahu, is set to turn state’s witness as part of the ongoing investigations into alleged corruption involving the prime minister, according to Hebrew media reports.

Harrow has been under investigation since mid-2015 on suspicion of using his ties to Netanyahu to advance his private business interests. Police have recommended he be indicted for bribery and breach of trust but the attorney general has yet to file formal charges.

That investigation sparked at least one corruption investigation of Netanyahu himself, after investigators uncovered recordings on Harow’s computer of meetings between Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon “Noni” Mozes in late 2014 and early 2015. In the recording, the two seemed to discuss an illicit quid pro quo deal that would have seen the prime minister hobble a rival daily to Yedioth, the Sheldon Adelson-backed Israel Hayom, in return for more favorable coverage from Yedioth.

That investigation, dubbed “Case 2000” by police, is ongoing, as is another corruption investigation into allegations that the prime minister receiving illicit gifts from billionaire benefactors.

Harrow was unavailable to comment on the reports. A spokesperson for his 3H Global consultancy firm, implicated in the investigation against him, declined to comment.

Harow first worked for Netanyahu as foreign affairs adviser during his stint as leader of the opposition. He then spearheaded the 2009 election campaign that catapulted Netanyahu back into office. Following the election, he served as the prime minister’s bureau chief until 2010, managing Netanyahu’s schedule and advising him on a range of issues.

Harow took a break from politics in 2010, when he founded 3H Global. He later returned as chief of staff of the Prime Minister’s Office in 2014, serving there for a year before leaving to run the 2015 election campaign for Netanyahu’s Likud party.