BICOM

A seventh person has been arrested in the latest development of the so-called “submarine affair”.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that a retired Major General from the Israeli Navy has been arrested,

Yesterday six suspects were arrested on suspicion of bribery, fraud and tax offences.

All the allegations relate to the purchase of submarines and ships for the Israeli Navy from German shipbuilder ThyssenKryupp.

Channel 2 reported on Monday that Prime Minister Netanyahu will be called in for questioning but is not understood to be a suspect.

In a joint statement the Israel Police and the Tax Authority said: “At the time of the events under question, some of the suspects were public servants and some worked in the private sector.”

One of those who has been arrested is Avriel Bar-Yosef, former deputy head of the National Security Council. Netanyahu tried to appoint Bar-Yosef to lead the NSC in 2016, but his name was withdrawn after the corruption allegations surfaced.

The submarine case centres on the allegation that Netanyahu’s personal lawyer David Shimron tried to influence a multi-billion-shekel deal in favour of the German shipbuilding firm, which he represented in Israel. There is speculation in the Israeli media that Shimron was one of those arrested.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit triggered the police investigation in November last year. Moshe Yaalon, who was defence minister at the time, opposed the deal. Yaalon has threatened to “tell all” about Prime Minister Netanyahu’s alleged involvement if the PM himself is not indicted in the investigation.