Israeli police have detained a seventh person for questioning over their suspected involvement in a corruption scandal surrounding the government’s purchase of submarines from the German ThyssenKrupp company, local media reported Tuesday citing the police.
According to The Jerusalem Post, the suspect is a retired Israeli Navy major general, whose name has not been disclosed.
On Monday, six people were detained as part of an investigation into the corruption scandal, local police said in a statement. The suspects have been accused of fraud, bribery, and various tax-related offenses with the aim to make the deal more favorable for the German shipbuilder. Some were working within the government at the time of the deal, while others were in the private sector.
According to reports, the former deputy head of the National Security Council, Avriel Bar-Yosef, and ThyssenKryupp’s Israeli agent, Miki Ganor, are among the detainees.
The investigation into the 2014 deal began in November 2016 over allegations that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal lawyer David Shimron also had business ties with ThyssenKrupp’s local representative. Netanyahu himself is not being investigated for possible wrongdoing.
Israel possesses five German-built, diesel-electric submarines in its army, and has a contract signed to build a sixth.