JERUSALEM (AP) - Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israel’s prime minister, is suspected by authorities of accepting bribes in a corruption case involving Israel’s telecom giant, Haaretz and other Israeli media reported Thursday.
Police investigator Uri Kanar told a Tel Aviv court that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife was a suspect, and that police have testimony that the Netanyahus and the owner of the Bezeq telecom company were cognizant of the implications of their actions.
The case deals with suspicions that confidants of Benjamin Netanyahu promoted regulations worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Bezeq in exchange for positive coverage of the prime minister in Bezeq’s news website, Walla.
Sara Netanyahu’s lawyers dismissed Kanar’s comments. Police declined to comment on the media reports regarding the case.
It was not immediately clear how Sara Netanyahu, who as the premier’s wife does not hold public office, might be charged with bribery.
Police have questioned Netanyahu and his wife concerning the case, also known as Case 4000, but neither had been known to be directly implicated.
Police have recommended indicting Netanyahu on corruption charges in two other cases, one involving accepting gifts from billionaire friends, and the second over trading positive media coverage for advantageous legislation for a newspaper.
The prime minister has denied any wrongdoing, dismissing the accusations as a witch hunt orchestrated by the media.
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