Israeli tycoon refused PM’s gift requests: Haaretz

JERUSALEM

An Israeli businessman refused requests by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for luxury gifts for himself and his wife in 2016, Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Friday.

Businessman Arnon Milchan refused Netanyahu’s repeated requests for luxury items for himself and his wife, Sara, on several occasions, causing friction between the two men, Haaretz quoted Milchan’s personal assistant, Hadas Klein, as saying.

According to the newspaper, police say Milchan had been disturbed by the couple’s requests, fearing an exchange of favors could get him into trouble with the law.

The revelations are the latest chapter in an ongoing corruption scandal implicating Netanyahu and his wife.

In February, Israeli police recommended that Netanyahu be indicted in two separate graft cases.

The first concerns the prime minister’s relationship with Milchan, while the second relates to an alleged deal between Netanyahu and Arnon Mozes, publisher of prominent Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.