Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu Indicted For Bribery, Fraud And Breach Of Trust

Israel’s attorney general indicted Benjamin Netanyahu on a range
of corruption charges Thursday, the justice ministry announced,
potentially spelling an end to the prime minister’s decades-long
political career.

Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit “decided to file charges
against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for offences of receiving
a bribe, fraud, and breach of trust,” a ministry statement
said.

It said a note of the decision and a copy of the charges had
been provided to the premier’s lawyers.

Netanyahu, who strongly denies all the charges, becomes the
first Israeli prime minister to be indicted while in office.

Mandelblit is due to give a public statement at 1730 GMT, with
Netanyahu expected to respond.

Netanyahu is not legally required to resign, only if convicted
with all appeals exhausted, but political pressure is likely to be
intense.

Netanyahu may now ask the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, to
grant him immunity from prosecution.

Rightwinger Netanyahu, who has been in power since 2009, is
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister and dominates the country’s
political scene.

The decision comes as Netanyahu, a close ally of US President
Donald Trump, is fighting for his political life.

Israeli been without a government for nearly a year, with
neither Netanyahu nor his centrist rival Benny Gantz able to form a
coalition government following deadlocked elections in April and
September.