Israeli police investigators probing corruption suspicions against right-wing interior minister Aryeh Deri were reportedly considering requesting that the minister be placed under house arrest the Hebrew media reported Monday.
Deri and his wife Yaffa were being questioned separately for about 11 hours by the police’s Lahav 433 investigation unit on Monday and police sources indicated they would be called back for a second round of questioning.
They were grilled on wide range of graft accusations including money laundering fraud and breach of trust theft fraudulent registration and tax offenses the police said in a statement.
A few hours before the couple were questioned police officers arrested 14 other people in connection with the same graft probe. Many of the details of the probe including the identities of some of those arrested are under a police gag order.
The Israeli police were also said to be considering asking that Deri who heads the ultra-Orthodox Shas party be suspended from his duties as interior minister.
As a member of Knesset Deri enjoys parliamentary immunity so police would require the approval of the attorney general as well as the Knesset itself to implement any direct measures against the interior minister.
Last year Israeli attorney general Avichai Mandelblit authorized an Israeli fraud investigation unit to launch a criminal investigation into Deri’s dealings.
In the past few weeks the investigation has drawn close to its final stage after police gathered evidence against Deri and his wife.
A year ago Deri’s brother Shlomo was also questioned by the police as part of the same investigation.
Deri served 22 months in prison from 2000 to 2002 after he was convicted of taking bribes while serving as interior minister and returned to politics earlier this decade.
He reclaimed the leadership of his Shas party shortly before last year’s Knesset elections replacing Eli Yishai. He returned to his interior ministry post earlier this year after a court ruled that his prior conviction did not disqualify him from the position.
