Netanyahu quizzed as submarine graft probe witness

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on Tuesday questioned as a police witness in a probe of alleged corruption over the state purchase of three German submarines, his office said. Netanyahu is the subject of several corruption investigations, but he is not under suspicion in the submarine affair, known as Case 3000. “The prime minister gave his testimony in Case 3000. He has given all the details that led to his professional decisions on the matter of the submarines, while explaining their importance for state security,” his office said in a statement. The statement said Netanyahu was delighted to “put an end once and for all to false claims spread by politicians” that he acted improperly in the affair. It is the first time Netanyahu has given oral evidence on the matter, and he reportedly spent several hours answering questions. The case centres on alleged corruption surrounding Germany’s sale to Israel of three submarines manufactured by industrial giant ThyssenKrupp. Two associates of the prime minister have been questioned several times in the past few months by police heading the investigation. The German submarines ordered by Israel could be equipped with nuclear missiles and deployed for spying missions off the coast of Iran, where they could be used in the event of a war between the two countries, according to foreign military experts.