Israel
Yair Netanyahu tape reportedly prompted US bribery probe into Israeli PM
Bibi’s son was recorded boasting about his father’s involvement in arranging a ‘great deal’ for a friend
March 23, 2025 13:15
Bibi’s son was recorded boasting about his father’s involvement in arranging a ‘great deal’ for a friend
March 23, 2025 13:15A recording of a conversation between Yair Netanyahu and the son of gas magnate led to a US investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a possible bribery deal, according to a new report.
The tape, originally published in 2018, captured a chat between Yair and Nir Maimon, son of fuel tycoon Kobi Maimon.
During the conversation Netanyahu boasted that his father, who was in office as PM at the time, had been involved in the arrangement of a $20 billion deal that benefitted Maimon's father.
"My father got a great deal for your father. He fought really hard in the Knesset for it," Yair was heard saying, adding: "My father got $20 billion for yours."
The conversation took place in 2015 after Yair and Nir returned from a strip club. Three years later, in 2018, the tape was made public and aired on Channel 12 News.
Yair apologised for his part in the conversation at the time, saying his remarks were a “bad joke” made while under the influence of alcohol.
However, Israeli newspaper Haaretz has now claimed that the recording led to scrutiny of the elder Netanyahu from Washington.
According to the report, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which regulates financial activity in America, approached Israeli state prosecutors following the tape’s publication.
The head of the SEC unit responsible for combating bribery of foreign officials reportedly sought to determine whether the conversation indicated a possible bribery deal.
At the time of the SEC’s investigation, US authorities believed Kobi Maimon was a majority shareholder in American company Isramco Inc, a sister company of Israel’s Isramco, though the US company has asserted that Maimon was not a controlling shareholder at the time.
Israeli state prosecutors apparently concluded there was “nothing serious” in the conversation, and police did not open an investigation. According to Haaretz, the American enquiry did not lead to further action.
The newspaper reported that Isramco Inc., Naphtha Israel Petroleum, and the Equital holding company stated they were unaware of any US claims that Kobi Maimon had been a controlling shareholder in Isramco Inc.
They maintained that Isramco was a publicly traded company at the time and Maimon did not hold such a position, though he has since joined the board of its ultimate parent company.
They also insisted they had never received any enquiries from US authorities regarding the matter.
The reports come as the young Netanyahu took to social media this weekend in a rant about the “deep state,” in reference to the attempted sacking of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
“The madness of Ronen Bar and the Deep State shows that they have a lot to hide about October 7.
“That’s why they are demanding a ‘state’ cover-up committee headed by their friends on the Supreme Court,” Yair Netanyahu posted on Facebook, referring to the commission of inquiry that Bar has demanded into Hamas’s October 7 massacre.
Bar’s dismissal is currently the subject on an injunction from the Israeli High Court, with judges considering whether or not the government is legally allowed to remove him.
It has also been a motivating factor, along with the resumption of fighting in Gaza and the attempted sacking of Israel’s Attorney General, for widespread protests in the country, which saw more than 100,000 people take to the streets over the weekend.