Israeli PM’s lawyer says no substance to graft allegations

In this photo, taken Oct. 31, 2016, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, gestures during a speech at the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament in Jerusalem, Monday, Oct. 31, 2016. Israel’s Justice Ministry and police issued a brief statement late Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016, that said they will issue an update “in due time” about an ongoing probe into suspicions surrounding the prime minister. Israeli media are reporting that the attorney general is soon expected to announce a criminal investigation into Netanyahu. The Justice Ministry would not confirm the reports. (Photo by SEBASTIAN SCHEINER/AP)

JERUSALEM — A lawyer for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is no substance to allegations he improperly accepted gifts.

Yaakov Weinroth said Friday that there is “no scrap of crime” in someone giving his friend cigars as a gift.

He spoke a day after Netanyahu was questioned by police for a second time in a case that local media say arose from allegations involving high-profile figures in international business and Hollywood. Police said Netanyahu was questioned about suspicions that he “allegedly received benefits” as well as about another undisclosed matter.

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, portraying the accusations as a witch hunt against him and his family by a hostile media.

Weinroth said that after hearing Netanyahu’s statement he is “calm.” He reiterated Netanyahu’s position that the allegations are “baseless.”