Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the media on Sunday after several of his associates were arrested in what the police have dubbed Case 4,000, a graft investigation into alleged corruption in the relationship between telecommunications giant Bezeq and the Communications Ministry.
Netanyahu was dismissive of the arrests, issuingd a statement saying, "Another fake investigation resulting from media pressure. The media witch hunt is in full swing. Now that all the air has been let out of the balloons called Case 1,000 and Case 2,000, and now that it is clear that the balloon called Case 3,000 was never inflated to begin with, the media is doing all it can to inflate another balloon, Case 4,000. But this balloon will also deflate."
Cases 1,000 and 2,000 are ongoing corruption cases against Netanyahu, the first focusing on allegedly illicit gifts and the second on attempted media manipulation. Case 3,000, in which Netanyahu is not a suspect, focuses on suspected corruption in the Israeli purchase of German submarines.
Netanyahu has not been named as a suspect in Case 4,000. He is expected to be questioned by the Israel Police about possible irregularities in the regulations adopted in his capacity as communications minister between 2014 and 2017, and about his ties to Bezeq's controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch.
Police revealed few details about the case and quickly slapped a gag order on it. But according to some media reports, police may be looking at a possible relationship between Bezeq, Shaul Elovitch and Netanyahu.
According to speculation, Netanyahu may have received favorable coverage from the Walla news site, a Bezeq subsidiary, in exchange for media regulation that earned Elovitch hundreds of millions of shekels. However, it is unclear whether Netanyahu or his associates were involved in this supposed scheme.
The seven people who were arrested Sunday, whose names are under gag orders, are five senior Bezeq executives, a senior government ministry official, and a communications adviser close to Netanyahu.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, the prime minister's wife, Sara, could also be quizzed because of her associations with the suspects.
In Netanyahu's statement on Sunday, he said the Justice Ministry "has already made it clear, in the state comptroller's report, that the prime minister never made controversial decisions [regarding Bezeq]. He made no decision that was specifically tailored to help Bezeq or any decision that could be controversial or considered a conflict of interest. Therefore, this is just a fake bubble that will burst as well."
The developments in Case 4,000 come days after police announced there was sufficient evidence to indict Netanyahu in both Case 1,000 and Case 2,000. The recommended charges are fraud and breach of trust (considered one offense under the penal code), as well as soliciting and accepting bribes.
In Case 1,000, Netanyahu is accused of receiving lavish gifts from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. In return, police say Netanyahu operated on Milchan's behalf on U.S. visa matters, tried to promote legislation that would help ease his tax burden and connected him with an Indian businessman.
In the second case, Case 2,000, Netanyahu is accused of offering Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes preferential treatment in exchange for more favorable coverage.
