Police said to ban Benjamin, Sara Netanyahu from discussing investigation
Report says similar prohibition placed on Bezeq controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch and his wife, Iris
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Police have reportedly barred Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, from discussing the Bezeq corruption probe, following a five-hour interrogation on Friday.
Hadashot TV news reported Sunday that a similar prohibition was placed on suspects Shaul Elovitch, the Bezeq controlling shareholder, who was released to house arrest Sunday; and his wife, Iris.
The report said it was unclear how police could enforce the instruction.
The report came as the Netanyahus landed in Washington at the beginning of a week-long trip, with the prime minister set to speak before the annual convention at AIPAC and meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
The investigation, dubbed Case 4000, involves suspicions that Elovitch ordered the Walla news site, which he owns, to grant fawning coverage to the Netanyahus in exchange for the prime minister’s advancement of regulations benefiting him.
Investigators questioned Netanyahu at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem on Friday morning, while his wife was interrogated separately for five hours at the Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit’s headquarters in Lod. Elovitch and Nir Hefetz, a former media adviser to the prime minister who has also been implicated in the case, were also questioned at the same time.
Earlier in the week, the news outlet published a text message sent by Sara Netanyahu to Iris Elovitch, the Bezeq owner’s wife, blasting coverage of the Netanyahus on Walla and urging her to “quickly” change it.
Raoul Wootliff contributed to this story.
The Times of Israel Community.