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JERUSALEM, March 5-- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's former top adviser Nir Hefetz signed a state's witness agreement Monday in a high-profile corruption case involving the Israeli leader, officials said. A police spokesperson said the deal with Nir Hefetz, a former media adviser for Netanyahu and his wife and the couple's close confidant, was signed on Sunday night. Hefetz was released to a house arrest on Sunday after spending two weeks of detention in jail, during which he was investigated by the police's Lahav 433 special anti-corruption unit. Israeli media reported that under the deal, Hefetz will give the police audio records involving at least three corruption affairs in which Netanyahu is a suspect. In return, Hefetz will receive full immunity: He will not stand to trial, spend time in jail, or be required to pay a fine. The deal casts a long shadow on the visit of Netanyahu in Washington, where he is due to meet later Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump. The move was widely described by local media as a dramatic development against the long-time Israeli prime minister. Hefetz, considered to be one of his most loyal associates, was described also as Netanyahu's "spin doctor." Hefetz is a suspect in two criminal cases. In the so-called "case 4000," he is suspected of being part of a bribery deal, in which Israel's largest telecom company, Bezeq, received regulatory and financial benefits from the Communication Ministry, which Netanyahu headed between 2017 and 2017, in addition to his capacity as prime minister. | 
