Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may face criminal charges in Case 4,000, the Hadashot evening news reported Saturday.
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 Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of Bezeq until recently, secured positive coverage of Netanyahu and his family on the site in exchange for government regulations worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the company.
According to the report, Major Crimes Unit investigators plan to question Netanyahu in the case on June 12, in light of new information provided by former Netanyahu spokesman Nir Hefetz, who turned state's witness.
Hefetz reportedly provided investigators with a "breakthrough" in the case, handing over information proving that Netanyahu and Elovitch were aware of the illicit nature of their relationship.
According to media reports, Hefetz told the police that in his capacity as the prime minister's spokesman, he spoke with Elovitch up to seven times a day.
Channel 10 News reported that the police and the prosecution believe that text messages sent from the prime minister's wife, Sara Netanyahu, to Elovitch, could potentially support bribery charges.
Other reports indicated that State Attorney Shai Nitzan plans to review the final recommendations in another corruption case involving Netanyahu, Case 1,000, this week. Case 1,000 centers on gifts Netanyahu and his wife allegedly received from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian tycoon James Packer.
Sources at the State Attorney's Office said Nitzan is inclined to charge Netanyahu with fraud and breach of trust in the case.
Hadashot further reported that Hefetz gave investigators information suggesting that the Netanyahus had received gifts from other businessmen as well.
According to the reports, during one trip to New York, one of the individuals in question gave Sara Netanyahu a credit card for her own personal use.
A statement issued by Netanyahu's office criticized the reports as "a pile of lies about Netanyahu's relationship with Elovitch. The equally vicious and delusional allegations suggesting the prime minister and his wife used friends' credit cards or were given gifts during their trips abroad, as well as many other false claims, are completely baseless and never happened."
