Former Netanyahu Chief of Staff Ari Harow has been taken in for questioning after landing at Ben Gurion International Airport on a flight from Madrid on Thursday.
He was arrested by the National Fraud Investigations Unit of the Israel Police who were waiting for him at the airport. He has been taken in for questioning at the Lahav 443 Unit’s base in Lod. It is still unclear as to whether or not his arrest is in conjunction with an investigation which has recently been opened up against Prime Minister Netanyahu.
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Harow’s questioning comes only a few days after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced that Netanyahu will be investigated. The investigation has been conducted under a media blackout, and what little has been reported and exposed has been unconfirmed.
Mandelblit issued a statement saying that “Following information relating, among others, to the prime minister, that was submitted to the attorney general by the Israel Police Investigation and Intelligence Department, the attorney general conducted several discussions with representatives of the State Attorney’s Office, top officials in the Justice Ministry and officials in the Police Investigation and Intelligence Department. Following these discussions, the attorney general has decided to examine the matter.”
The attorney general’s statement raised further speculation that its reference to “among others” could be hinting that the actions of additional people from Netanyahu’s inner circle are also being examined. Despite such questions, the attorney general wished to stress that “Presently, only an examination of the prime minister is being conducted, and not a criminal investigation.”
Mandelblit referred to the current buzz around the examination, saying that “The media has recently reported many news items on the examination that were, to say the least, inaccurate. Though we cannot discuss its details, the attorney general is aware of the importance of bringing it to the public’s attention.”