Avichai Mandelblit
Avichai MandelblitFlash 90

State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan announced Monday that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit approved upgrading the investigation into the so-called 'Submarine Affair' to a full criminal investigation into graft.

The decision was taken based on information gathered by the police as part of the examination conducted in recent months, which raised reasonable suspicion of violations of the public trust and corruption on the part of several figures involved in the affair.

The State Prosecutor made it clear that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is not among the suspects in the investigation.

The case centers around allegations that Netanyahu's personal lawyer, David Shimron, pushed for a multi-billion shekel deal to purchase new submarines from German conglomerate ThyssenKrupp, which is a client of Shimron's.

Channel 2 reported recently that the suspects under investigation in the case are former Navy Commander Eliezer Marom, David Shimron, and a businessman named Miki Ganor.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated that it is necessary for Israel to replace its aging fleet of submarines.