Israel Police Inspector General Roni Alsheikh said yesterday at a press briefing that the investigation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in the final stages.
"We're making a special effort so that it won't take too long. We know the public sensitivities in this matter, and I believe that it will all be behind us within weeks," Alsheikh declared. "We have no substantial disputes with the State Prosecutor's Office; the argument is mainly about interpretation."
The inspector general said that very few people had been involved in the Case 1000 and Case 2000 investigations - "a few more than the fingers of one hand."
Alsheikh added, "Our investigation has been going on for months, and nothing leaked. The frontal questioning was the main thing. Interrogation capability, whom to contact first, and whom to question first were very critical.
"The job of the police is first of all to discover the truth and what happened, and then to produce evidence. We are now at the end of the evidence producing stage."
In late December 2016, Attorney General Dr. Avichai Mandelblit ordered the opening of a criminal investigation in two affairs. Case 1000 involved suspicions that the prime minister received favors from businessmen: Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. Case 2000 deals with conversations between Netanyahu and Arnon Mozes, publisher of the "Yedioth Ahronoth" daily newspaper, in which Mozes is suspected of offering favorable newspaper coverage in exchange for the prime minister favoring a law that would have forced the free "Israel Hayom" daily newspaper to charge a price, thereby cutting its circulation.
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on January 23, 2017
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