"This is making a mountain out of a molehill and is part of political persecution," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference in Moscow regarding the allegations surrounding donations to him from French billionaire Arnaud Mimran.
Speaking alongside Russian President Valdimir Putin he said, "A million euro for my 2009 election campaign? No there was no million euro for the election campaign but a legal, supervised donation to a fund that I set up for the benefit of the State of Israel. It's clear that this is part of a systematic political persecution. What they have not been able to do with the ballot box, they are trying to do with false accusations and massive media exaggerations."
With the same breath, Netanyahu also mentioned the allegations against his wife Sara in the prime minister's household expenses affair. "They have trampled on the honor of my wife. They have ground her into the dust. She nursed her 96-year old father and paid for it with private money from her family. I recommend that you all read Ruth Gavison's article - Prime Ministers are changed in elections and not in public and legal wars of attrition. I believe in our legal system and nothing with come of all this because there is nothing.
Throughout the day yesterday, there was a tussle between the versions of the affair offered by the Prime Minister's bureau and Mimran regarding the donation given by the French businessman in 2001. After the Prime Minister's bureau confirmed yesterday that Netanyahu's fund did receive a donation from Mimran when he was not in any public position - Mimran himself claimed that he had transferred the money to Netanyahu's private account.
Moreover, while Netanyahu claims the amount was €40,000, Mimran told "Channel 10" that it was much higher - €170,000.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 8, 2016
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2016
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 8, 2016
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2016