Ronald Lauder has admitted to Israeli investigators that he bought Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a variety of gits. Lauder currently serves as president of the World Jewish Congress.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is currently under investigation by the Israeli police for suspicion of accepting bribes and was questioned under caution at his official residence on Monday.
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According to a report in the Israel daily newspaper Haarez, Ron Lauder told Israeli investigators that he personally bought Benjamin Netanyahu suits and that he also covered the rooming expenses for Netanyahu’s son Yair when Yair Netanyahu traveled a broad.
The New York Post, however, has cited a source close to Ronald Lauder saying that the billionaire was called in for questioning by Israeli police when he was in Israel for Shimon Peres’ funeral and that there was no talk of suits.
“There was nothing about suits. That’s ridiculous, ” said the source. “They asked him to come in and answer a couple of questions. He did. It was over in a few minutes.”
Helena Beilin, a lawyer representing Ronald Lauder, told The Post, “Mr. Lauder never made these purchases nor did he admit to them, and any report that states otherwise is completely inaccurate.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s opposition leaders have been having a lot of fun at Benjamin Netanyahu’s expense over the revelations about the Ronald Lauder gifts saying things like “we buy our own suits.”