Controversy over contributions to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by a French tycoon on trial for fraud deepened on Tuesday after the Frenchman disputed the premier's version of events, AFP reports.
With the issue receiving widespread coverage in Israel and the country's attorney general examining it, Netanyahu acknowledged on Monday that Arnaud Mimran, currently on trial in Paris, had given him $40,000.
Netanyahu said however that all had been done according to the law, and that the 2001 contribution was not political and occurred when he was not in public office. A political contribution of that size would exceed Israel's campaign finance limits.
Mimran told Channel 10 television late on Monday that the amount was actually some €170,000 ($193,000 US), transferred to Netanyahu's personal account.
He also said that previous reports that he had contributed one million Euro were incorrect.