Police Recommend Indictment of Former Netanyahu Aide

Israeli police said on Thursday they have evidence that a former chief-of-staff to Prime Minister Binyamin illegally advanced his own business interests while holding the position.

The allegations against the American-born Ari Harow have been widely reported in Israeli media, and this latest development seemed unlikely to have any political impact on the prime minister, who himself is linked to two other corruption probes.

The police said in a statement that they have been investigating Harow since mid-2015, shortly after he stepped down as Netanyahu’s chief-of-staff. Harow had been appointed the previous year, after leaving his consulting firm 3H Global.

Prior to being made chief-of-staff, Harow had “pledged to sell the company that he owned and not to engage in matters relating to it,” the statement said.

The investigation, however, found that Harow only appeared to have sold the company through “misrepresentation” and that he “continued to hold, enjoy its profits and promote its interests” while in the job, the police said.

Harow has denied wrongdoing. His lawyer could not be reached for comment.

The police said they were handing their findings over to the State Attorney’s office, which could lead to charges including bribery, fraud and breach of trust.