MADRID 27 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has ordered an investigation into Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a report indicated that she had tried to intimidate a witness and interfere in the corruption case against her husband.
The document, which does not mention Sara Netanyahu by name, says that she must be investigated for suspicion of harassment of witnesses and obstruction of justice. It also cites the report broadcast on Channel 12, according to the newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’.
Hours before the investigation was ordered, the Israeli head of government defended his wife in a video speech published on his profile on the social network conspiring “with billionaires from the left and abroad” in an attempt to overthrow his government.
Some of Netanyahu’s allies, such as the Minister of National Security, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, have criticized the measure. He has accused Bahavar-Miara of political persecution: “Whoever politically persecutes government ministers and their families cannot continue serving as attorney general,” he declared.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin has described the prosecutor’s order as “an extreme selective application that has reared its ugly head again” and has criticized the fact that the agency “is busy opening investigations after gossip on television.”
In addition to the alleged intimidation of witnesses, the report noted that Sara Netanyahu had organized a protest near a neighboring family whose son had been killed in combat, also encouraging security forces to use violence against anti-government protesters.
The prime minister is accused of a series of crimes in three cases, including fraud or accepting bribes, although he has denounced that everything is part of political persecution. In fact, he managed to return to power for a sixth term with the processes already open, at the end of 2022.
Among the accusations against him is the improper use of power to pressure the media to disseminate information favorable to the Government. One of the cases dates back to 2000, when he allegedly tried to reach an agreement with the newspaper ‘Yedioth Aharonot’ to have it speak positively about his administration in exchange for promoting legislation that would harm its main competition, the newspaper ‘ Israel Hayom’.