Netanyahu Tries to Avert Indictment as Criminal Hearings Begin

The long-awaited hearings before State Attorney Avichai Mandelblit on the corruption cases Binyamin Netanyahu is involved began Wednesday, as four meetings discussing the cases open against the prime minister take place. Two of the meetings will take place this week, and two next week. Mandelblit will decide on whether or not to recommend indicting Netanyahu on corruption charges after the hearings.

Originally, two meetings had been scheduled, but Netanyahu’s attorneys said that the time was insufficient to allow for the prime minister to present a full defense. Netanyahu had also requested that the proceedings be aired live, but that request was denied. The hearings will encompass three investigations against Netanyahu. The hearings this week will likely focus on Case 4000, considered the most serious.

The investigations against Netanyahu include Case 1000, in which Netanyahu is accused of accepting extravagant gifts from millionaire Arnon Milchin, mostly cigars and champagne; Case 2000, in which the prime minister allegedly leaned on the publishers of Yisrael Hayom to limit distribution of their free newspaper in order to benefit from better coverage in rival newspaper Yediot Acharonot; and Case 4000, also known as the Bezeq-Walla News Case, an influence-peddling probe that alleges that Netanyahu offered his good services to Israeli billionaire Shaul Elovich in return for positive coverage on the Walla news site.

Mandelblit will be deciding on whether or not indictments for bribery are appropriate based on the outcome of the hearings. According to the law, individuals accused of procedural crimes for which the potential criminal penalty is three years or more are entitled to hearings before relevant legal officials prior to indictments being issued, but the number of hearings or the exact procedure of what happens afterwards is not defined. There is no time limit for Mandelblit to issue his recommendations, but it is expected that he will do so before mid-December, when State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan is set to retire.

Netanyahu faces no legal requirement to leave the government if indicted, as long as he remains prime minister.

One of the prime minister’s attorneys, Ram Caspi, said that based on the materials and arguments the legal team would present, there was “a solid foundation for a change of course.”

Caspi, one of the country’s most prominent lawyers, read a statement to the press in which he expressed complete confidence in Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan and other members of the prosecution team, saying he was confident Mandelblit would reach his decision “in a professional manner, ignoring the background noises.”

He added: “The prime minister is not above the law, but neither is he below it.”

Netanyahu is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to go through a pre-indictment hearing process.

Ehud Olmert, facing corruption allegations, quit as prime minister in 2008 before such sessions could be held or any indictment filed. He was eventually charged and convicted of accepting bribes, and served 16 months in jail before his release in 2017.