Investigators have been trying to schedule questioning with the Prime Minister’s Office, to no avail. Despite that, police say Netanyahu will likely be questioned this week.
Police have been trying to schedule a time to question Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding two unspecified issues under investigation—but so far have been unable to set a date.
In recent days, the police’s investigations department has tried to schedule a time with the Prime Minister’s Office, to no avail.
Despite that, police officials say the questioning will likely take place this week.
Police are preparing for a different kind of questioning. Due to the prime minister’s busy schedule, investigators are expected to confront Netanyahu with all of the suspicions leveled against him during the first—and likely main—questioning session and have him establish his initial version.
Netanyahu will therefore likely be exposed to all investigative materials that has been collected over the last few months during his first questioning session. That is why police prefer to have more than four hours to question the prime minister, rather than a shortened two-hour session.
“There’s an issue with scheduling at the moment and we’re hoping it would be resolved soon,” said a senior police officer. “At this point, the attorney general is the one who decides everything and we can’t do anything.”
The Prime Minister’s Office said in response: “All past alleged affairs have turned out to be baseless and the same will happen to the claims currently being reported in the media. We repeat: Nothing will happen—because there is nothing.”
Journalist Amnon Abramovich reported on Channel 2 that one of the 50 witnesses questioned as part of the investigation was billionaire Ronald Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress. Lauder was asked by police investigators to testify in late September, when he arrived in Israel for president Shimon Peres’s funeral.
Lauder’s lawyer said in a statement: “At the request of the police, Lauder gave a short testimony on September 28. Lauder has never been questioned under caution, he only provided testimony. From the time he gave his testimony, two days before Shimon Peres’s funeral, Lauder has not been asked to give another testimony in the US.”
As reported by Ynetnews