Khaberni - The Israeli police referred the investigation results with Energy Minister Eli Cohen to the Public Prosecutor on suspicion of "breach of trust", related to his issuance of diplomatic passports to prominent members of the ruling "Likud" party, including Yair, the son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Haaretz mentioned that in December 2023, Cohen, who was then the Foreign Minister, ordered the issuance of diplomatic passports to influential members of "Likud", including Yair Netanyahu, despite them not meeting the criteria.
The newspaper explained that the Israeli police referred to the Public Prosecutor the results of investigations that lasted 9 months with Cohen and other senior officials, which concluded suspicions of committing the crime of "breach of trust", by granting diplomatic passports to these figures in exchange for illicit benefits.
It pointed out that the police interrogated dozens of people connected to the case and seized numerous documents before referring the investigation results to the Public Prosecutor.
No official comment has been issued by either the police or the prosecution in Israel or by Cohen regarding what the newspaper reported.
Indictment Lists
This comes while Netanyahu himself, who has been heading the current government since December 2022, faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three main corruption cases known as "Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000″, and indictments were filed in them in late November 2019.
"Case 1000" involves Netanyahu and his family members receiving expensive gifts from businessmen in exchange for facilitating favors for them.
"Case 2000″ involves him negotiating with Moses to receive positive media coverage in exchange for governmental favors.
"Case 4000" concerns providing regulatory facilitations to businessman Shaul Elovitch, the former owner of "Walla" website and "Bezeq" telecommunications company, in exchange for positive media coverage for him and his family.
Netanyahu's trial in these cases began in 2020 and is still ongoing, while the Israeli Prime Minister denies all the allegations against him, describing them as "a political campaign aimed at overthrowing him".
Since the start of his trial, Netanyahu has refused to plead guilty, and the possibility of him receiving a presidential pardon has sparked broad controversy inside Israel with the ongoing trial procedures.
In addition to the corruption cases, since 2024, Netanyahu has faced an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court concerning charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
