Netanyahu, Defiant, Calls Bribery Case ‘Full of Holes, Like Swiss Cheese’
14, 2018
JERUSALEM — Fighting back against a damning new allegation of corruption from the Israeli police
and calls for his resignation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Wednesday assailed investigators’ findings as biased and "full of holes, like Swiss cheese," and vowed to serve to the end of his term in late 2019.
The finance minister, Moshe Kahlon, whose center-right Kulanu party holds 10 seats, signaled late Tuesday
that he would not make any decisions before the attorney general’s decision on whether to indict Mr. Netanyahu.
"I can say this is a slanted document, extreme, full of holes, like Swiss cheese,
and holds no water." As a legal matter, the case now goes to state prosecutors and the attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, a onetime Netanyahu aide, who will decide whether to file formal charges.
If Mr. Netanyahu is indicted, that would be a first for a sitting prime minister in Israel.
After a yearlong graft inquiry, the police recommended late Tuesday
that Mr. Netanyahu face prosecution on bribery, fraud and breach-of-trust charges, saying there was evidence he had accepted nearly $300,000 in gifts in exchange for official actions benefiting his patrons, and had back-room dealings with the publisher of a leading newspaper to ensure more favorable coverage.