Binyamin Netanyahu
Binyamin NetanyahuFLASH90

For the first time since police opened investigations into the Prime Minister, authorities have revealed the nature of the suspicions against him in a document released to news outlets Thursday evening.

According to the police disclosure, investigators are probing claims Prime Minister Netanyahu may have engaged in bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

Prior to Thursday’s disclosure, the most severe crime the Prime Minister was under investigation for, it was believed, was improperly receiving gifts.

Also on Thursday, a Tel Aviv court extended a ban on publication of details regarding several investigations linked to the Prime Minister, censoring all details of negotiations between authorities and former Netanyahu Chief of Staff Ari Harow.

Harow, an American-born businessman, Republican political consultant, and Netanyahu advisor, has been under investigation by Israeli police since 2015 following allegations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

The suspicions against the Prime Minister stem from two ongoing investigations, dubbed the “1000” and “2000” cases. The investigation into the so-called “1000 scandal” began in December of 2016, and centers around claims the Prime Minister improperly received gifts from a number of wealthy businessmen.

The “2000 scandal” involves allegations the Prime Minister and Yediot Ahronot publisher Arnon “Nuni” Mozes conspired to soften the paper’s left-leaning anti-Netanyahu line in exchange for passage of legislation barring the free distribution of Israel Hayom, a rival paper that has cut into Yediot’s readership in recent years.