Israeli police grilled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife for two hours on Wednesday on suspicion that she diverted public money for private housekeeping expenses, local media said.
The interrogation came as a new threat loomed over the premier in his own long-running battle with corruption suspicions, as his former chief of staff reportedly considered an offer to turn state's evidence.
Israeli public radio said Sara Netanyahu was interrogated at National Fraud Squad headquarters near Tel Aviv over allegations she used public money for personal housekeeping expenses at the couple's official and private residences. As during previous rounds of questioning of both the premier and his wife, police issued no statement on Sara Netanyahu's questioning. But it was her husband's tribulations that grabbed the front pages of all of Israel's major dailies -- including the pro-Netanyahu freesheet Israel Hayom on Wednesday. They reported that justice officials were nearing a deal with his former chief of staff, Ari Harow, in which he would give evidence against his former boss in exchange for immunity from prosecution for his own acts. - AFP