Germany gives green light to controversial submarine deal, Israeli sources say
The Israeli acquisition of three submarines from Germany evolved into a complex case of corruption currently investigated by the police.
By HERB KEINONUpdated: OCTOBER 21, 2017 23:24Israel’s fourth submarine is en route to the navy's Haifa base from Germany(photo credit: IDF SPOKESMAN'S OFFICE)
The German government has approved the sale of three submarines to Israel that are at the heart of the Israel Police’s Case 3000 probe of possible bribery, fraud and kickbacks on the part of former top defense officials and confidants of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli sources said on Friday.In July, Berlin postponed signing the MoU on the sale. The deal is worth some €1.5 billion, with 27% subsidized by the German state.Sources involved in the deal said the attorney-general and officials in the National Security Council and Defense Ministry were in a process with the German government that led to a decision to go ahead with the acquisition of the vessels.There is one caveat: that no criminality be found in the behavior of senior decision- makers or officials involved in the decision to purchase the submarines.AFP quoted a spokesman for the German government as having said, however, that the deal “is not yet signed.”The police corruption investigation into the sale of the submarines and four patrol boats to defend offshore natural gas sites is ongoing.
