Netanyahu slams police chief for illicit leaks on probes against him

In his first response to the almost daily reports from the four corruption probes against him, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu accused Police Commissioner Ronnie Alsheikh of engineering these hostile leaks to the media for political ends and as political ammo against him. Netanyahu said that when Alsheikh took the job, he made two promises: The police would refrain from leaks and from making recommendations. But since Lior Horev was appointed external adviser to the commissioner, the leaks had become a tsunami, said Netanyahu.  “It is plain for anyone to see that the media use them for a witch against the prime minister on charges that will never stand up because they are unfounded,” he said.

Although the police has been actively investigating suspicions against Netanyahu on various charges for some years, (e.g. accepting large gifts, improper relations with a media mogul), none has so far gathered enough evidence to bring charges against him.
Sunday, the police issued a sharp statement rebutting Netanyahu’s allegation, claiming that it operated in full compliance with the law and would not be drawn by “unfounded attacks designed to obstruct its work and undermine the legitimacy of the rule of law.”