In the latest involving criminal allegations involving the Netanyahu family, Mr. Nir Hefetz, a former media advisor to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Mr. Eli Kamir, a Bezeq Telecommunications strategic advisor, are suspected of offering a former District Court president the position of state attorney general in exchange for closing a case against Mrs. Sara Netanyahu. This case, known as Case 1270, deals with alleged forgery of receives and public funds, known more commonly in Israel as the “Prime Minister’s Residences case”.

The development marks the latest scandal to engulf the beleaguered Israeli leader’s inner circle. Netanyahu already stands accused of bribery in two other cases.

According to the reports released on Tuesday, 5 Adar, the offer was made to then District Court President Hila Gerstel, and while she rejected the offer, she did not report the attempted bribe as required. Ironically, police requested to extend the remand of Hefetz, he is already behind bars due to his connection to another investigation, known as Case 4000. Police requested adding to his remand, but the court rejected the request. She did however share the incident with a colleague, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Esther Hayut.

In a statement made on behalf of the Netanyahus, they deny the Prime Minister and his wife had any knowledge of any offer to shut the case, and certainly not at their behest.

Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing and says the latest charges against him were merely a continuation of a wider media orchestrated witch hunt against him and his family.

“Nir Hefetz never presented this ludicrous offer to the prime minister and his wife, he was never asked by them to make such an offer and we can’t imagine that Hefetz would even imagine such a thing,” Netanyahu said.

Earlier Tuesday, with an initial gag order lifted, police identified Hefetz and Shlomo Filber, the former director of the communications ministry under Netanyahu, as the two suspects in promoting regulation worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Israel’s Bezeq telecom company, in return for favorable coverage of Netanyahu in a highly popular subsidiary news site.

Netanyahu, who held the communications portfolio until last year, has not yet been named as a suspect in the case but is expected to be questioned.

Bezeq’s controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch is also in custody, along with his wife, son and other top Bezeq executives. Former journalists at the Walla news site have attested to being pressured to refrain from negative reporting of Netanyahu.

The new probe comes days after police announced there was sufficient evidence to indict Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two separate cases.

Netanyahu is accused of receiving lavish gifts from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. In return, police say Netanyahu had operated on Milchan’s behalf on U.S. visa matters, legislated a tax break and connected him with an Indian businessman.

In the second case, Netanyahu is accused of offering a newspaper publisher legislation that would weaken his paper’s main rival in return for more favorable coverage.

Netanyahu has long accused the Israeli press corps of being biased against him and has taken steps to counter it by promoting more sympathetic outlets to him.

But the cases gave new fuel to opposition calls for Netanyahu to step aside as he fights a growing list of corruption scandals. Netanyahu dismissed the investigations as “delusional, fabricated claims” that are part of an “orchestrated campaign” against him and vowed to “continue to lead the state of Israel responsibly, discreetly and with great dedication.”

Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition Yesh Atid Party, said that if Netanyahu doesn’t want to resign, he should at least declare himself “incapacitated,” allowing a caretaker prime minister to be appointed.

“Israel deserves a full-time prime minister who is not engaged in anything else. Let him choose whatever path is convenient for him,” Lapid said.

“Netanyahu has become a liability for the citizens of Israel,” added Avi Gabbay, leader of the opposition Labor Party. “Every day that he stays in office is damage to the country.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem / AP)