JERUSALEM, Jan. 2 (UPI) — Police visited the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday evening, apparently to ask the politician questions about recent corruption allegations.
According to the New York Times, the visit may be a sign Israel’s attorney general has elevated the inquiry to a criminal investigation. Multiple reports suggest the investigations are related to allegations that Netanyahu improperly received gifts from businessmen.
Arnaud Mimran, a French businessman convicted of defrauding the European Union, recently told reporters he donated $1 million to Netanyahu’s election campaign.
Netanyahu continued to brush off the investigation at a Likud party meeting on Monday.
“There will be nothing because there is nothing,” the prime minister told his fellow party members — a phrase he’s used several times in response to the allegations.
Netanyahu warned his political adversaries not to get too excited. The politician has faced criminal investigations in the past without ever being charged.
“We hear all the media reports. We see and hear the festive spirit and atmosphere in television studios and in the corridors of the opposition,” he said. “I want to tell them to wait for the celebrations. Do not rush.”
Opposition leaders denied any air of celebration.
“We are not happy for his misfortune,” said Isaac Herzog, the leader of the Zionist Union. “This is a country with rule of law, and we must respect law enforcement.”
Netanyahu’s predecessor, Ehud Olmert, resigned in 2008 amid an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged corruption. Olmert was sentenced last year to 19 months in prison for bribery and obstruction of justice.
