Likud's Gideon Sa'ar considers suing Yair Netanyahu over rape allegations
On Tuesday night, partial excerpts of the transcript of the prime minister's son's interrogation in the "Bezeq-Walla Affair" were revealed on Channel 12.
By ANNA BRESKY/MA'ARIVYair Netanyahu arrives at court, December 10th, 2018(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/ MAARIV)
Senior Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar asked the Attorney-General's Office on Wednesday for the full transcript from the police interrogation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son Yair, following reports that he had accused the lawmaker of raping a former employee. Yair Netanyahu was questioned as part of Case 4000 - also known as the "Bezeq-Walla Affair" - in which the prime minister is suspected of approving the merger of telecommunications company Bezeq with satellite TV provider YES in exchange for favorable media coverage on Walla News. According to reports on Tuesday night, Yair Netanyahu told police interrogators that Sa'ar had raped his secretary and then covered it up by finding a job for her. "Gideon Sa'ar, who raped his secretary and arranged for her to shut up – and you know the story with Gideon Sa'ar, you do not investigate because it is not interesting," the prime minister's son claimed.He also slammed the prime minister's former spokesman and now state-witness Nir Hefetz, accusing him of killing an IDF soldier during his own military service and then dragging the body onto train tracks. Sa'ar sent a letter on Wednesday to Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit demanding access to the full transcript. The Likud MK said that he wanted the transcript to be able to prepare for possible legal action against the younger Netanyahu. On Tuesday, Sa'ar responded to Netanyahu's allegations: "If the report is correct, I jokingly reject the delusional and despicable lies that Yair Netanyahu has tried to address in testimony about me to the police."This is another example of the relentless campaign of spreading false stories against me that has been going on for years, to discredit my name and harm me politically,' Sa'ar continued. "As in the past, it will not succeed."A statement released on behalf of Netanyahu stated that "the use of criminal and bias leaks from Yair's investigation in his case is a continuation of the hunting campaign against him and the Netanyahu family, and an ugly attempt to shame him."Translation by Alex Winston.
