MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Israeli police have arrested 17 senior officials in the city of Rishon LeTsiyon over bribery under the operation aimed at revealing connections between criminal elements and local, municipal and national governmental officials, The Jerusalem Post newspaper reported.
The arrests followed large-scale anti-corruption protests in the city of Tel Aviv on Saturday, when over 30,000 people gathered in Tel Aviv to protest against corruption, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. The rally was triggered in particular by a draft bill, which, if passed, will prohibit police from issuing recommendations for indictments against a prime minister.
Thousands gathered in #TelAviv shout “shame, shame” to protest planned law that would curtail police powers amid multiple corruption investigations into #israel pm #netanyahu pic.twitter.com/p7sVM7S7gX
— Ariel David (@arieldavid1980) 2 декабря 2017 г.
READ MORE: 'March of Shame': Tens of Thousands of Israelis Protest Against Gov't Corruption
The Israeli prime minister has strongly denied any wrongdoing, saying that he is the victim of a smear campaign by political opponents. According to a November report by Israel's Channel 10 News, sources involved in the ongoing investigation have revealed that there is now sufficient evidence to charge Netanyahu and his wife with bribery for accepting tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts from well-heeled business associates.