Ex-Netanyahu aide Ari Harow off the hook in fraud probe
July 24, 2016After a week of house arrest in connection with a fraud investigation, police released Ari Harow, a California-born former chief of staff of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Harow, 43, was detained for questioning at Ben Gurion Airport last week and questioned for 14 hours in connection with suspected financial violations involving Netanyahu, but he was released last Friday.
Police said they will not seek to extend his detainment at this time, the NRG news site reported. The investigation, which is subject to a partial gag order, involved suspicions of massive money laundering, Israeli media reported.
Harow resigned his post in the Prime Minister’s Office in January 2015 in order to work on Netanyahu’s election campaign. The Los Angeles native had already been questioned under caution in December 2015 on suspicion of fraud and breach of trust, when he was held under house arrest for five days.
A number of other Netanyahu associates have also been questioned in recent days. Two additional senior officials who worked for Netanyahu in his office since 2009 are also to be questioned, according to Globes.
Police are also investigating Netanyahu for financial corruption related to three other matters: longstanding allegations of illicit funding for foreign travel; claims that Netanyahu and his family inappropriately used public state funds for food and entertainment; and the accusation that he illegally received a large sum for political campaigning from French billionaire Arnaud Mimran.
Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing in all three affairs.
According to Haaretz, police were investigating the sale of Harow’s consultancy firm, 3H Global.
Harow was raised in a family with seven children, including three who were adopted and one who has Down syndrome, according to The Jerusalem Post. He made aliyah to Israel with his family when he was 12 and entered the Israel Defense Forces, serving in the Golani Brigade.
He attended Bar-Ilan University and Brooklyn College in New York, where he met his wife, Naomi. They have four children aged 3 to 12.
Eyal Gabai, a former director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office, told the Post he was certain of Harow’s innocence, attributing the allegations that led to the police probe as trumped up by political rivals.
“I am sure Ari did not do anything wrong and that the police will find nothing, because he is straight” as an arrow, Gabai said.
Similar posts
-
Israel Has The Most Moral Military In The World
April 10, 2024In the heart of a region often riddled with conflict, Israel stands out not only for its technologi...
-
The Resilience of the Israeli People
April 2, 2024Visitors from around the world have seen Hamas's October 7th Massacre's destruction in southern Isr...
-
Israel: Small Size, Big Impact
March 21, 2024Nestled along the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea, Israel is a land of immense historical sig...
-
Israelis Are Fighting For Their Lives
February 21, 2024By Jonathan S. Tobin The world looks a lot different from Kibbutz Kfar Aza than it does in the U...
-
Over 2 Million Arabs Live In Israel
January 23, 2024In the complex landscape of the Middle East, where diverse cultures and identities intersect, Israe...
-
'Fauda' Star Idan Amedi Injured Fighting in Gaza
January 8, 2024Despite the severity of his injuries, Amedi's father assured Israeli news channels that his life is...
-
Israel Is A Great Country To Live In
December 28, 2023Nestled at the crossroads of the Middle East, Israel stands as a vibrant and dynamic nation, offeri...
-
Women's Empowerment in Israel
December 15, 2023In recent decades, Israel has witnessed a remarkable evolution in the status and empowerment of wom...