Prosecutors announced Thursday afternoon that a number of high-ranking former Israeli officials will be charged with bribery and money laundering in connection with Israel’s submarine bribery scandal.
Among those facing indictments in the case are former chief of the Israeli Navy, Eliezer Marom, David Sharan – a former Netanyahu adviser – and former Shinui MK Eliezer Sandberg.
The three all face bribery charges, pending hearings, as does Miki Ganor, a former Israeli agent working on behalf of ThyssenKrupp, the German shipbuilder contracted by the Israeli navy for submarines and corvettes.
A fifth suspect, former Deputy National Security Adviser Avriel Bar Yosef, was also named in the announcement Thursday, and while not yet indicted, may face bribery charges as well.
In addition, a sixth suspect, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s former attorney David Shimron, faces money laundering charges.
Referred to as the Case 3000 investigation, the probe centers around allegations that Ganor, working on behalf of ThyssenKrupp, bribed senior Israeli officials to secure deals from the Israeli navy for submarines and corvettes from ThyssenKrupp.
The scandal also includes accusations that Ganor bribed senior officials to greenlight a 2014 deal between ThyssenKrupp and Egypt, despite objections from then-Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon.
While Germany is not required to seek Israeli approval for deals with Arab countries, it has nevertheless done so to enable Israel to retain a strategic edge.