(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Five people were detained on suspicion of trading favours in a fresh corruption investigation into Israel's largest telecommunications company, the Israel Securities Authority said in a statement on Sunday.
Among them were two associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the issue is sensitive.
The ISA and Israeli police are questioning the five suspects over their alleged involvement in a plot whereby the Communications Ministry supposedly crafted industry rules to benefit Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Corp in exchange for positive coverage of Netanyahu and his wife on its wholly-owned news outlet Walla!, the person said.
Bezeq has no further information about the investigation, the company said on Sunday in a filing to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Bezeq, Netanyahu's office and police all declined to comment to Bloomberg.
In November, the ISA recommended indicting executives at Bezeq and the Communications Ministry for securities fraud. On Sunday investigators said they had detained the five suspects, among them senior Bezeq executives, after finding evidence of 'additional crimes beyond the initial probe, the ISA said.
Netanyahu is not a suspect in the Bezeq case, but the investigation is inching closer to him just days after police recommended he be charged with bribery and breach of trust in two other corruption cases. Opposition politicians say Netanyahu can't focus on his responsibilities amid his legal pressures and should resign, but coalition partners are sticking by him.
Netanyahu has said he has done no wrong, framing the accusations as a witch hunt by left-wing opponents who failed to defeat him at the ballot box.
He said he expects to serve out his term, which ends in
late-2019.
The logo of Bezeq Telecommunication is seen at the company's headquarters in Tel Aviv (file). In November, the ISA recommended indicting executives at Bezeq and the Communications Ministry for securities fraud.
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