Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former chief of staff David Sharan was on Thursday remanded to another five days, in connection with Case 3000 – dubbed the “submarines affair.”
The Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court remanded political strategist Tzachi Lieber for a further five days as well.
On Thursday Lieber explained the route of the bribe money which he transferred from Miki Ganor to Sharan. In a court discussion Lieber’s attorney admitted, on his behalf, the motive that made him transfer the money from Ganor to Sharan.
“My client admitted that a close friend of his – who is very dear to him – reached out and asked him to do him a favor [give the money to Ganor], and because of this favor he us under arrest,” attorney Yair Regev said in court on Thursday.
During the testimony Regev said that some NIS 100,000 was transferred, in several batches.
Case 3000 is a police corruption investigation into Israel’s purchase of German made naval vessels. Ganor was the Israeli representative of the German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp and became a state’s witness in late July.
Reports claim that the latest developments in the investigation are a result of Ganor’s testimony.
Lieber’s attorney also criticized the police, and said they are “picking on the small ones”, instead of interrogating those who made the decisions to purchase the submarines.
“They are afraid to get to the most senior people, the people who made the decision to make the purchase,” said Regev.
Channel 2 news reported Netanyahu as saying that he does not believe Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit will indict him in Cases 1000, 2000 or 3000. Netanyahu denied saying making such a comment and repeated his saying: “There will be nothing because there was nothing.”