Quoted By:
CASE 3000 (THE SUBMARINE AFFAIR)
What is it?
Police reportedly suspect bribes were solicited during negotiations between German industrial giant ThyssenKrupp and the Israeli government over the purchase of new submarines for Israel's navy. There have been several reports that Netanyahu will be questioned in this case, but as of yet, police have not named him as a suspect. However several intimate associates of Netanyahu’s, including former personal lawyer David Shimron, have been arrested. Yitzhak Molcho, a personal envoy for the premier, was also questioned. The two men, who also represented the German firm’s interests in Israel, are suspected of using their positions and association with the premier to advance the deal despite pushback from the Ministry of Defense.
Political rivals say this case is a ticking time bomb for Netanyahu, but without evidence.
Where does it stand?
Although this investigation has been running for a while, there is no indication it is near a conclusion. Germany and Israel inked a memorandum of understanding permitting the deal to go forward, with a caveat that it could be scrapped if police conclude any wrongdoing in the affair.
What does Netanyahu say?
“The justice ministry has already made it clear that the prime minister is not suspected of anything,” Netanyahu said in a statement last month after yet another report he is set to be questioned. In this, as in every case, Netanyahu’s denies any wrongdoing, repeating a mantra that has almost become part of the Israeli vernacular. “There will be nothing, because there is nothing.”
