Netanyahu trips investigated

JERUSALEM, March 25 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu says he never granted any favors to benefactors who paid for travel and vacations for himself and his wife.

State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss said he would investigate complaints filed with his office related to Netanyahu's trips abroad between his two terms in office, Ynetnews.com reported Friday.

An investigative report by a television station said Netanyahu and his wife took dozens of trips, which in many cases were paid for by wealthy Jewish donors who could benefit from their ties to Netanyahu.

Several complaints were submitted to the state comptroller and the attorney general calling for an investigation following the report.

The prime minister's office dismissed the controversy, saying: "The questions ahead of the report were recycled are full of false smearing. This reflects a longtime tendency by (the) reporter ... to taint the prime minister's and his family's reputation."