President of the World Jewish Congress and billionaire businessman Ron Lauder was stopped by the Israel Police on his way to the funeral of Shimon Peres and asked to give a statement regarding the Netanyahu family on Friday.
According to a Channel 2 report Lauder was detained by investigators of the Lahav 433 investigations unit after arriving from Israel on a flight from Ukraine where he attended a memorial for the Babi Yar Massacre. A Lahav 433 spokeswoman refused to confirm or deny the report.
Lauder was reportedly upset at the encounter and chastised the police. “I coming to the funeral of a good friend with whom I shared diplomatic initiatives with (Peres) and you detain me,” Lauder said according to the Channel 2 report.
Lauder did not give a statement to police and instead reached an agreement to give a detailed testimony with Lahav 433 investigators in New York, or on a separate visit to Israel.
The PMO declined to comment on the report, Netanyahu stated last month in regard to the corruption probe that “There will be nothing, because there is nothing.” According to Channel 10cited in the Channel 2 Sara Netanyahu said in 2011 that Lauder was a “friend” who previously had flown the Netanyahu family and hosted them.
The World Jewish Congress has not returned a request for comment by TOT, the evidence centers on the alleged use of funds of the American Friends of Likud, a not-for-profit American educational organization that connects Likud supporters in the US to the party.
Many people involved in the organization contribute to Likud candidates, including Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s former chief of staff, Ari Harow, who was questioned for 14 hours by police in July, once directed the American Friends of Likud, as did another former Netanyahu aide who has been questioned.
