Mandelblit said he authorized Netanyahu’s questioning as a suspect — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit said during hearings in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal case that he had approved questioning him as a suspect. At the same time, he could not recall whether he had separately approved the mention of suspected bribery in an official warning for Netanyahu in Case 4000, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Dispute over wording
During questioning, Netanyahu’s lawyer Amit Hadad asked Mandelblit which specific offense he had authorized questioning over. The former attorney general generally referred to offenses involving the integrity of public service and separated Case 4000, which involved suspected bribery, from Cases 1000 and 2000.
Hadad objected to this wording, saying that the term “offenses involving the integrity of public service” appears neither in the minutes of meetings nor in the warnings delivered to Netanyahu. According to him, Mandelblit used wording from a memorandum he submitted to the court to explain his approvals.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh suggested that the wording of the warning might have appeared in redacted parts of the minutes. She stressed that information regarding the attorney general’s approvals had not been concealed. Judge Moshe Bar-Am noted that, in his view, wording concerning the nature of the investigation should not have been concealed.
Three consolidated cases
The trial, which began in May 2020, combines Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000. The prosecution alleges that in Case 1000, Netanyahu received gifts from wealthy businessmen. Case 2000 concerns a possible discussion of exchanging favorable coverage for action against the newspaper Israel Hayom with Yediot Aharonot publisher Arnon Mozes.
In Case 4000, the prosecution alleges that Netanyahu promoted regulatory measures benefiting Bezeq in exchange for intervention in Walla’s coverage. The prime minister has been charged with fraud and breach of trust in all three cases, as well as bribery in Case 4000. Netanyahu denies wrongdoing.
