State witness in submarine probe said threatening to cancel deal
Miki Ganor reportedly trying to reduce punishment for his part in alleged bribery case which involves senior aides to Netanyahu; police said unfazed by threat
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A state witness in a corruption case involving associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly threatened to cancel his agreement with prosecutors, in a bid to reduce his eventual punishment, just weeks before police are expected to publish their recommendations in the affair.
Miki Ganor, a former agent for the German submarine company ThyssenKryupp, signed the agreement to turn state witness in July 2017 as part of the so-called submarine probe, also known as Case 3000.
Under the deal, Ganor reportedly agreed to serve one year in prison and pay a fine of up to NIS 10 million (some $2.7 million), in return for his cooperation in the probe.
But in recent weeks, he has signaled that he is considering cancelling the agreement if his prison sentence and fine are not reduced, Channel 10 reported Tuesday.
Law enforcement officials were said to dismiss the threats, asserting that Ganor’s position would be far worse without the agreement.
Police refused to confirm or deny the report, saying that “we don’t conduct discussions in the media on state witness agreements.”
The investigation involves suspicions that state officials were paid bribes to influence a decision to purchase four patrol boats and three Dolphin-class submarines from German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp, costing a total of 2 billion euros, despite opposition to the deal by the Defense Ministry.
Netanyahu has never been named as a suspect in the case, although he was questioned about it by police in June.
Police are reportedly set to recommend indicting five suspects in the case, including Netanyahu’s former adviser and confidant Yitzchak Molcho and his personal lawyer and cousin David Shimron.
Police suspect that Molcho tried to push the submarine deal during his diplomatic trips abroad, while Shimron, Molcho’s legal partner, sought to promote the interests of the German shipbuilders within Israel.
Shimron has been questioned several times as part of the investigation by the Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit. In addition to his work with Netanyahu, he served as a lawyer for Ganor. Shimron is considered a key suspect in the case.
Netanyahu reportedly told police he had been unaware of Shimron’s ties to the local representative of ThyssenKrupp.
Raoul Wootliff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.