Days after his former chief of staff Nir Hefetz signed a state's witness agreement in the corruption probe known as Case 4,000, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the Israel Police, saying this proves investigators would do anything to bring him down.
Case 4,000 centers on potentially illicit dealings and conflict of interest involving Israeli telecom corporation Bezeq and the Walla news website, which Bezeq owns. The police allege that Bezeq controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch ensured positive coverage by Walla for Netanyahu, in exchange for the prime minister promoting government regulation worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the company.
Hefetz is the second state's witness in the case. Former Communications Ministry Director General Shlomo Filber, considered a key associate of the prime minister, turned state's witness last month in exchange for immunity.
Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing in case 4,000. Hefetz is also expected to provide information on two other corruption investigations involving the prime minister: Case 1,000, which centers on gifts Netanyahu allegedly received from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer; and Case 2,000, which focuses on an illicit deal Netanyahu allegedly tried to strike with Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes to ensure positive newspaper coverage. The Israel Police has also enlisted another former Netanyahu chief of staff, Ari Harow, as a state's witness in those cases.
"I usually avoid commenting on what people call 'splashing headlines' but I read in one of the papers something that made me break this habit," Netanyahu wrote on Facebook while visiting in the U.S.
"I read about a person who was taken in for questioning, he was subject to intense pressure by investigators who kept telling him:'you have to lie, be a state's witness' but he refused. It is hard to fathom that in Israel, in our democracy in 2018, such things exist," Netanyahu said.
"So I want to say something about this state's witness industry in our country," Netanyahu said. "You take people who are accused of carrying out some crime, they are detained and the police try to scare the hell out of them; they are told: 'Your life is over; your family members' lives are over; we are going to take away almost everything, including your liberty. But if you want to save your skin, then you have only one way out: Sling some mud at Netanyahu. Even just preposterous lies, it doesn't matter; what matters is that you besmirch Netanyahu."
Netanyahu reiterated his claim that "when there is a real case against someone, you don't need a single state's witness; but when there is nothing, even a thousand state's witnesses won't help."
According to Netanyahu, "This obsessive quest to enlist more and more state's witnesses is the biggest proof that there is nothing."
Netanyahu, who is visiting the U.S., was hosted by The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, and was asked about how the various corruption probes against him impacted his day to day activities. "I can't say that I like it," Netanyahu said about the ongoing probes. "I can say it doesn't detract because I work my 16 hour days and just do it," he said.
When asked what he found pleasurable about the job of prime minister Netanyahu quipped: "Oh, the investigations." When the interviewer David Rubenstein said his red tie looks like it may have been given by President Donald Trump, Netanyahu joked: "That could be investigated, too, so I won't answer."
