Israeli attorney-general orders inquiry linked to Netanyahu

Israel’s attorney general has confirmed that he has ordered an investigation into accusations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in what the Israeli media is reporting as a money-laundering probe.

Earlier Sunday night, Channel 10 reported that Mandelblit and Nitzan were meeting to make decisions about an initial review of alleged money-laundering by Netanyahu.

“After receiving information on matters pertaining, among others, to the prime minister”, Mandelblit met police and justice officials, after which he decided “to order an examination into the matter”, a justice ministry statement read.

According to Channel 2, the case is not linked to a concurrent investigation against Netanyahu’s former parliamentary adviser Perach Lerner, on allegations of graft. “In recent days, many reports have been published in the media that do not accurately reflect, to put it mildly, the facts surrounding the probe”. Some Israeli politicians believe that If the task team finds enough evidence to file criminal charges, the case could result in the prime minister’s resignation and prosecution, quickly resulting in a skirmish for leadership of the unpopular Likud party.

Mandelblit’s statement said he “is conscious of the importance of making the facts available to the public”.

This is not the first time Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife have allegations surface against them.

The Attorney General’s statement made no comment on the exact nature of the inquiry or the veracity of Friday’s reports, calling them “inaccurate”.

On Saturday, senior law enforcement officials told Haaretz that part of the material that the examination is based on had originated in other, unrelated probes of Netanyahu.

On Saturday, Meretz chairwoman MK Zehava Galon called on Netanyahu to resign over the “dubious and corrupt norms the prime minister presents to the public”.

Israeli authorities have embarked last month on investigating Netanyahu’s alleged connections with French businessman Arnaut Mimran, who was recently found guilty by a French court over a massive fraud case.

In May, Israel’s state comptroller issued a report critical of the financial aspects of Netanyahu’s foreign trips from 2003 to 2005, when he served as finance minister.