Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu to be indicted on bribery charges, reports say

The prime minister is accused of accepting cigars and wine from a Hollywood producer.

Israeli police are likely to recommend that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be indicted on bribery charges after months of investigation, it has been reported.

Multiple investigations have been opened into the under-fire leader for allegations he accepted illegal gifts and large sums of money, but Netanyahu has adamantly denied the claims.

However, he is set to be indicted in the next four to six weeks, according to sources speaking to Channel 2 in Israel.

Netanyahu has been questioned three times over the allegations and is expected to be interviewed one more time before charges are brought, the TV channel said.

The charges are believed to be related to "Case 1,000" which include claims Netanyahu received luxury cigars and expensive cases of wine from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan, who produced the Oscar-winning 2015 film The Revenant.

Sara Netanyahu told Israel's Channel 10 her husband was unaware of the gifts she had received from Milchan and other wealthy businessmen.

"Bibi [Benjamin Netanyahu] really didn't know that I was receiving wine from Milchan," she said, reported Haaretz. "He's a prime minister and a very busy person. He would come back for dinner, see wine on the table and didn't ask any questions about where it came from. The thought didn't even occur to him."

Further to the bribery claims, an audiotape revealed in January, claimed to show Netanyahu negotiated favourable press coverage in return for stifling an opposition newspaper.

Also among the corruption allegations are that Netanyahu accepted large sums of money from convicted French fraudster Arnaud Mimran. In July 2016, Mimran was jailed for eight years and fined €1m (£850,000) for carbon tax fraud, which French media described as the "sting of the century".

During his trial, Mimran claimed to have donated money to Netanyahu's 2009 election campaign, though the politician has consistently denied this. He did, however, admit accepting $40,000 (£33,000) from Mimran in 2001.