BICOM

Court documents have confirmed for the first time that the basis of police investigations dubbed “Case 1000” and “Case 2000” into the Prime Minister are allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

The documents submitted yesterday to the Rishon LeZion magistrate’s court are part of a police request for a gag order to facilitate attempts to recruit a state’s witness. This follows reports this week that Benjamin Netanyahu’s former Chief of Staff Ari Harow is about to turn state’s witness in the investigations.

Netanyahu denies all allegations of wrongdoing. A post on his Facebook page yesterday stated: “‎We reject out of hand the groundless allegations being made against the Prime Minister. The witch hunt for replacing the government is underway, but it is fated to fail for one simple reason: There will be nothing because there was nothing.”

Senior Likud MK Avi Dichter told Israel Radio that it is “‎Standard practice for a Prime Minister or a defence minister who have been indicted is to resign their position”. In response, coalition chair David Bitan MK said “‎The Prime Minister does not need to resign, rather he needs to prove his innocence. I say to Avi Dichter, ‘‎wait patiently, in any case you want to run for the leadership of the party the same way you ran in Kadima.’”

Recently-elected Labour party leader Avi Gabbay also tweeted yesterday: “We don’t have expectations from Netanyahu but where are his Government partners? Those who are supposed to tell him ‘enough’?  It is not a matter of left and right.”

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of the right-wing Jewish Home Party said on Wednesday that there was no legal obligation for the Prime Minister to step down if indicted.

Ehud Olmert resigned after being indicted in 2008 under political pressure from his coalition partner Ehud Barak, who was then leader of the Labour party.