Israeli PM interrogated over corruption allegations

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Israeli police investigators interrogated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday over corruption suspicions, Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit confirmed in a statement.

The three-hour interrogation ended at around 23:00 local time (21:00 GMT), a police spokesperson said.

It was the first time the investigation has been officially acknowledged by authorities, though reports in local media suggest the probe has been ongoing for several months.

/Xinhua Photo

Mendelblit said in a special statement that Netanyahu was interrogated "under caution on suspicion of receiving benefits.”

Because the investigation was conducted under caution, Netanyahu is being investigated as a suspect.

The investigation involves "a slew of allegations that the prime minister allegedly committed offenses in the field of integrity," the attorney general said, without elaborating.

The initial investigation led to several other affairs, Mendelblit added. The probe has been conducted for several months but in December the investigators found evidence that "changed the evidential situation of the case," leading to Monday's questioning of Netanyahu.

Earlier on Monday, black screens were placed outside the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem to block the view of journalists seeking to photograph the police investigators.

/Xinhua Photo

Netanyahu's office rejected the suspicions against him as "baseless." During a meeting of ministers from his Likud party, he reportedly said: "They won't come to anything because there isn't anything."

Israel's Channel 2 TV news said that Netanyahu is under criminal investigation over suspicion that he and members of his family received "favors", including gifts and money, from Israeli and foreign businessmen.

Media said the police are investigating a second graft affair under complete secrecy.

Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper reported that Ron Lauder, an American billionaire, was linked to the case. Lauder was Netanyahu's close friend until their relations reportedly soured.

According to Ha'aretz, Lauder was investigated by the police when he arrived in Israel for the funeral of the late president, Shimon Peres, in September.

During his questioning, Lauder confirmed that he had given Netanyahu "various gifts, including a suit, and that he had also financed a trip abroad for the prime minister's son, Yair," Ha'aretz reported.

(Story adapted from Xinhua)

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