Mossad chief probed over Mariah tickets from Packer

The head of Israel’s spy agency is under investigation over concert tickets from James Packer.

Mr Packer was at the time in a relationship with Ms Carey. Picture: AP.

Israeli prosecutors are investigating whether Yossi Cohen, the head of the country’s spy agency, Mossad, improperly accepted tickets to a Mariah Carey concert from Australian casino magnate James Packer.

Mr Packer and his partner in security company Blue Sky International, Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan, were attempting to recruit Mr Cohen to run a new cybersecurity operation, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.

At the time, in August 2015, Mr Cohen was head of Israel’s national security council. He was appointed Mossad boss four months later.

A Packer spokesman has been contacted for comment.

Mr Packer was at the time in a relationship with Ms Carey, but this ended in November last year.

Speaking to The Australian in August 2015, the then-chief executive of Mr Packer’s private empire, Consolidated Press Holdings, said the billionaire would do more with his good friend Mr Milchan.

“In some areas we will be happy to make a direct investment or do a partnership with people like Square Peg,” Mr Rankin said. “But selectively we are very open to building and operating businesses in this space. And in this space we are adopting a capital light strategy.

“James really wants to focus on continuing to build out Crown as a global brand and developing a couple of key online technology related businesses within CPH.’’

Haaretz reports that “certain aspects” of Blue Sky’s activities came up during a broader Israeli police investigation into graft allegations against the country’s prime minister, Bejamin Netanyahu.

The paper claims Mr Milchan had a very close relationship with Mr Netanyahu, who would leave meetings to take his calls.

Its clients have included India’s Tata Group and Mr Packer’s Australian businesses, it said.

Meanwhile, The Times reports that Mr Netanyahu will be interrogated for a second time this month over an alleged plot to trade favours with the owner of Israel’s second-largest newspaper, the financially struggling Yediot Aharonot.

It is alleged Mr Netanyahu asked for more favourable coverage, and offered to pass a law to restrict the circulation of Israel HaYom, its main competitor.

Mr Netanyahu is alleged to have set up meetings between Yediot’s owner and businessmen including Mr Packer and Mr Milchan.

Mr Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing and says the allegations against him are nothing more than an “orchestrated media campaign” designed to unseat him.

- with The Times