Netanyahu's lawyer to be indicted in submarine corruption case

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attorney David Shimron will be indicted on charges of money laundering in connection with a submarine graft case, the State Prosecutor's Office announced on Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attorney David Shimron will be indicted on charges of money laundering in with a submarine graft case, the State Prosecutor's Office announced on Thursday.

Apart from Shimron, businessman Miki Ganor, who was German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp's representative in Israel and former Israel Navy chief Eliezer Marom will also be indicted for bribery in the case dubbed as "The Submarine Affair," Haaretz reported.

Last year, police had recommended indicting Shimron for mediating a bribery deal after the investigation had been completed. The police also suggested indicting former deputy of the National Security Council, Avriel Bar-Yosef, for bribery, fraud, breach of trust and conspiracy to commit a crime.

However, the State Prosecutor's Office has not made an announcement on Bar-Yosef's case.

The case involves the decision to acquire submarines and boats from Thyssenkrupp Corporation. It began with an investigative report on TV Channel 10 in November 2016, which led to an inquiry followed by a criminal probe, according to Haaretz.

The case is about two agreements signed by Israel and Thyssenkrupp, one involving the purchase of three submarines for 1.5 billion euros and the other pertaining to the purchase of missile boats for protecting gas drilling platforms for 430 million euros.

In July 2017, Ganor had signed a state's witness agreement after he was alleged to have been involved in corruption and bribery. However, the businessman has denied any wrongdoing.

Last month, Israel's Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit had indicted Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Mandelblit had announced that the Prime Minister will be charged with criminal wrongdoing in three separate cases against him, including bribery in the far-reaching Bezeq corruption probe.

Netanyahu has denied all the allegations, saying they are part of a politically orchestrated "witch-hunt" to oust him from office. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison or a fine for bribery charges alone, while fraud and breach of trust carry a prison sentence of up to three years.

( With inputs from ANI )