JERUSALEM, June 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, were interviewed on Monday by Israeli police in a corruption investigation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The couple arrived at the police Lahav 433 anti-fraud unit in Lod, outside Tel Aviv, on Monday morning to testify in the ongoing graft investigation, dubbed by the police as the "Case 2000."
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri told Xinhua that she can neither confirm nor deny the meeting, as under the police policy interviews of private people are not to be disclosed.
Adelson was a major donor to Netanyahu's election campaigns and the two are close friends, local media reports said. Adelson is also the owner of Israel Hayom (Hebrew for "Israel Today,") a staunchly pro-Netanyahu newspaper distributed freely.
This was the first time that Miriam Adelson was interviewed as part of the "Case 2000" investigation, and the second time that Sheldon Adelson did. In May, Adelson, who arrived in Israel ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit, was already interviewed once by Israeli police.
They are not suspects in the case but were reportedly asked by the police to testify about the issues involving Netanyahu's alleged involvement in Israel Hayom and negotiations that the prime minister reportedly held with the publisher of Yedition Aharonot, a rival newspaper.
Netanyahu, 67, is a suspect in two cases. "Case 2000" involves secret talks Netanyahu reportedly held with the publisher of a large Israeli newspaper regarding reducing the competition in the news sector in return for more positive coverage.
The other, known as "Case 1000," involves suspicions that Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, received expensive gifts from Israeli-U.S. businessman and Hollywood producer, Arnon Milchan.
Netanyahu has been investigated by the police for at least four times.
On March, Israeli police chief Roni Alsheikh revealed that the police are close to completing the investigation, saying "we are in the final stages."
The procrastination of the law enforcement authorities sparked anger in the Israeli public, leading to weekly demonstrations near the home of the attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, in which protesters call for filing charges against Netanyahu.
