Hürriyet daily news (Turquie) : "Israel Foreign Minister grilled in bribe case "

Israel FM grilled in bribe case


JERUSALEM - Israeli police interrogated the country's new hardline foreign minister for more than seven hours on Thursday and five hours on Friday in connection with an ongoing bribery investigation.

Avigdor Lieberman was questioned at the headquarters of the national fraud squad in central Israel on allegations of receiving bribes, money laundering and breach of trust, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. "Lieberman will be questioned again soon," Rosenfeld said on Friday.

The questioning was connected to a long-standing investigation into Lieberman's business dealings, Rosenfeld said. The foreign minister's lawyer and daughter have also been questioned in the case. Lieberman denies any wrongdoing and says the probe is politically motivated.

"This investigation is going on for 13 years. In today's investigation Lieberman cooperated and answered investigators' questions," Lieberman's spokeswoman Irena Etinger said.

Lieberman took office this week as foreign minister. He has raised concerns around the world with statements seen as racist and his opposition to U.S.-backed peace talks over the past year.

He immediately sparked an uproar after taking office during a ceremony on Wednesday, saying he opposes concessions to Arab adversaries in exchange for peace and that "whoever wants peace needs to prepare for war."