New arrests within the group of telecom israel Bezeq

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – israeli police Sunday arrested several executives of Bezeq, the largest israeli telecommunications, new items which appeared in the course of an investigation into possible fraud.

The Authority of the securities israeli (ATI) investigation of possible fraud, as well as on any possible offences of violation of law on securities, and several arrests have already taken place in 2017, including that of the former chairman of Bezeq Shaul Elovitch.

The ATI suspect Elovitch to be meddled in 2015 in the merger between Bezeq and the satellite channel YES for personal benefit.

Elovitch, the group owner, Eurocom, which controls Bezeq, denies any wrongdoing and has not been formally charged.

The new investigation is heading to suspicions of perceived benefits by Bezeq in exchange for favourable coverage of the policy of the Prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on the internet site Walla, controlled by Eurocom, indicate the israeli media.

“This is new false accusation against the Prime minister,” said a spokesman for the cabinet of Netanyahu. “The Prime minister has not intervened in favour of Elovitch and Bezeq, not more favourable coverage than for anything else,” he added.

The police recommended on Tuesday that Benjamin Netanyahu is accused of corruption in the framework of the two surveys. The first relates to gifts of business men.

The second folder, the “case 2000”, regarding relations between Benjamin Netanyahu and owner of the newspaper Yedioth Ahronot, Arnon Mozes. The two men are suspected of agreeing to curb the growth of a daily rival, Israel Hayom. For the police, there is reason to think that Mozes was offered a bribe to the Prime minister in exchange for his help.

(Tova Cohen; Eric Faye for the French service)