Israel AG to indict Prime Minister Netanyahu | Nairalaw

Israel Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Thursday announced
his intention to file criminal charges against Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu for one count of bribery and three counts of
breach of trust.

The press release emphasized that before a final decision to
file charges was reached, Netanyahu’s lawyer would be given a
hearing before the Attorney General as required under Israeli
law.

Mandelbilt was appointed by Netanyahu in 2016. The charges are
the result of a criminal investigation by the Attorney General that
began in December 2016 followed in June 2017 by a public
investigation by the Israel Securities Authority.

In the first case, Case 1000, Mandelbilt alleges Netanyahu
received 1 million shekels (approximately USD $275,000) in gifts
from an overseas billionaire in exchange for advancing a tax break
which would have benefited the businessman.

The second case, Case 2000, alleges Netanyahu negotiated with
Arnon Moses, the owner of Yedioth Ahronoth, to limit the
circulation of a rival newspaper in exchange for favorable
coverage. The Attorney General also intends to indict Moses for
bribery in connection with the case.

In the last and largest case, Case 4000, Netanyahu is accused of
promoting regulatory changes valued at 1 billion shekels (about
$275 million) on behalf of Bezeq, an Israeli telecom company, in
exchange for positive press in Walla, a site owned by Saul
Elovitch, Bezeq’s primary shareholder. At the time of the alleged
deal, Netanyahu was also serving as Minister of Communications. The
Attorney General also plans to indict Elovitch for bribery.

Charges will not be filed until Netanyahu’s lawyers appear
before the Attorney General, which is not expected until after next
month’s elections. The announcement comes at a particularly
inconvenient time for Netanyahu, whose Likud party had hoped to
retain its position as the largest party in the Israeli Parliament
during the elections.