Police acknowledge Netanyahu suspected of bribery, fraud, breach of trust

For the first time, police investigators explicitly say that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is suspected of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, Hebrew-language media report.

The cases in question are called “Case 1000” and “Case 2000,” the former involving expensive gifts to Netanyahu and family members from wealthy acquaintances and the latter an alleged offer by Netanyahu to the publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper to act to limit distribution of the competing Israel Hayom daily in exchange for more favorable coverage in Yedioth.

In a police gag order request to stop all coverage of negotiations with former Netanyahu aid Ari Harow to turn state’s witness, police say explicitly that cases 1000 and 2000 “deal with bribery, fraud and breach of trust” suspicions.

Netanyahu is the primary suspect in Case 1000, and a key suspect in Case 2000, apparently making the gag order request the first explicit statement that the prime minister is being investigated as a suspect of those crimes.