Benjamin Netanyahu is be be indicted in three corruption cases

The Israeli leader, 69, is reportedly accused of crimes including bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

He is suspected of wrongfully accepting gifts from wealthy businessmen and dispensing favours in alleged bids for favourable coverage by a newspaper and a website.

Israeli TV reported this afternoon that the country’s attorney general intends to indict Mr Netanyahu following a series of long-running investigations. </s> JERUSALEM (AP) - The Latest on decision to indict Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges (all times local):

Israel's attorney general says he has decided to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a series of corruption charges.

Avichai Mandelblit said Thursday he has accepted the police recommendations to file charges against Netanyahu in three different cases, pending a final hearing.

In a Justice Ministry statement, Mandelblit says he plans to charge Netanyahu with bribery for promoting regulatory changes worth hundreds of millions of dollars to telecom giant Bezeq in return for positive press coverage in Bezeq's popular subsidiary news site Walla.

He will also charge Netanyahu with fraud and breach of trust in two other cases. The first involves accepting gifts from billionaire friends and the second revolves around alleged offers of advantageous legislation for a major newspaper in return for favorable coverage.

Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing. He called a press conference for Thursday evening.

Israel is awaiting the attorney general's decision on whether to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a series of corruption allegations.

Avichai Mandelblit is expected to announce his decision on Thursday, after more than two years of intense investigations and deliberations.

An indictment would mark the first time in Israeli history that a sitting prime minister has been charged.

Police have recommended indicting Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three different cases. Mandelblit is expected to inform Netanyahu's lawyers he intends to press charges pending a final hearing for the suspect.

Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing and calls the allegations a media-orchestrated witch hunt aimed at removing him from office. He has vowed to carry on and is deadlocked in the polls ahead of the Apr.9 national elections. </s> The indictment marks the first time in Israeli history that a sitting prime minister has been charged with a crime.

ed note–before all the usual suspects, and particularly within the ‘Pro-Palestine’ community, erupt with orgasmic enthusiasm over this development, recall that it is but another manifestation of ‘by way of deception, we shall make war…’

Firstly, the obvious–Netanyahu is a war criminal with the blood of not just tens of thousands, but indeed MILLIONS of innocent people on his hands. Besides Gaza, there is–

1. 3,000 Americans who lost their lives as a result of the Israeli-engineered terrorist attacks on 9/11 with which Netanyahu was intimately involved at both the planning and operation levels and which he characterized as ‘good’ in that they would generate ‘immediate sympathy for Israel’,

2. The genocide in Iraq that killed over a million and displaced even more,

3. The genocide in Libya that killed hundreds of thousands in the NATO bombing campaign,

4. The genocide in Syria, which killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions more,

5. Yemen and its carnage which is ongoing.

And yet, he is being charged with ‘white collar’ crimes of ‘corruption, bribery, fraud and breach of trust.’

This is about Israel doing a little TLC-based maintenance to her public image in affecting the mirage of a Jewish state that is governed by the same Western laws proscribing dishonesty, corruption, and theft, all of which are considered virtues within the Judaic paradigm. Like a VD-infected prostitute run down on drugs, covered with Meth sores all over her body, teeth rotting out and who smells like an outhouse walking on 2 legs who checks herself into some rehab center to get ‘cleaned up’ only to emerge a few weeks later and return to the streets in a much more marketable manner, likewise, the whore of Babylon calling itself the Jewish state is doing the same.

Israel’s attorney general announced Thursday that his office had indicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges after a two-year investigation.

The prime minister faces one count of bribery and two counts of fraud and breach of trust.

Police have previously recommended indicting Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three different cases.

The most serious allegations against Netanyahu involve his relationship with Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of Israel’s telecom giant Bezeq. Police recommended an indictment in the case based on evidence collected that confidants of Netanyahu promoted regulatory changes worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Bezeq. In exchange, they believe Netanyahu used his connections with Elovitch to receive positive press coverage on Bezeq’s popular subsidiary news site, Walla. Police have said their investigation concluded that Netanyahu and Elovitch engaged in a “bribe-based relationship.”

Police also recommended charges be brought against Elovitch, members of his family and members of his Bezeq management team.

Police have previously recommended indicting Netanyahu on corruption charges in two other cases. One involves accepting gifts from billionaire friends, and the second revolves around alleged offers of advantageous legislation for a major newspaper in return for favorable coverage.

Netanyahu, 69, who is serving his third consecutive term as prime minister and his fourth overall, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and called the various allegations against him a witch hunt aimed at removing him from office.

The attorney general’s decision to publish his conclusions 39 days prior to the general election on April 9 is raising questions about what impact it can have on the outcome of the vote.

Israeli media reported Thursday that with just hours to go before Mandelblit’s anticipated decision to indict Netanyahu, his Likud Party filed a petition to the Supreme Court to stop the announcement from happening before the election on the grounds that it would unfairly impact on Netanyahu’s prospects of re-election. However, the court’s spokesperson confirmed later in the afternoon that the petition was rejected.

The indictment marks the first time in Israeli history that a sitting prime minister has been charged with a crime.

Legal experts in Israel say it could take up to a year for a hearing process into the charges to end and an additional two years for a court case to be heard.

While Israeli prime ministers are not required by law to resign if charged, the prospect of a prime minister standing trial while simultaneously running the country would be unchartered territory.

In response to the indictment, Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute said Netanyahu should consider carefully whether it’s best for him to stay on as prime minister or resign and focus on proving his case in the courts.

“We cannot ignore the serious potential damage to the public’s trust in the state’s institutions caused by a situation in which the government is headed by an individual charged with criminal misconduct involving abuse of power,” the organization’s statement said.

The institute says the timing of the announcement doesn’t constitute “an inappropriate influence on the elections” because it was made “within a reasonable amount of time before the elections, taking into account both the public’s right to know and the desire not to intervene in the electoral process.”

Israeli law professor Said Avi Bell said the indictment inserts law enforcement officials into the political arena “in an unprecedented way, and on a very shaky legal foundation.”

President Donald Trump, with whom Netanyahu has forged a close connection, said “[Netanyahu’s] done a great job as prime minister” in response to a question in Hanoi, where he was holding a summit with the leader of North Korea.

“He’s tough, he’s smart, he’s strong,” Trump said of the Israeli leader, but didn’t comment on the indictment.

Netanyahu rushed back Wednesday from a diplomatic mission to Moscow, and a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, to prepare for his expected rebuttal to the charges on Thursday.

While no stranger to scandal, this was the first time Netanyahu faced the possibility of being formally charged with a crime.

Netanyahu and his family’s luxurious lifestyle — often at taxpayers’ expense — has come under scrutiny before. Nearly six years ago, Netanyahu was criticized for reportedly spending $127,000 in public funds for a special sleeping cabin for a five-and-a-half hour flight to London for Margaret Thatcher’s funeral. That came just months after the Netanyahu family’s taxpayer-funded food budget included $2,700 for artisanal pistachio and French vanilla ice cream. </s> Israeli police Friday questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a suspect in a third corruption investigation that poses a serious challenge to the embattled leader, who so far has rallied support to maintain power, according to a report from Dow Jones Newswires supplied to EFE.

Police also questioned the prime minister's wife, Sara Netanyahu, regarding the case, conducting the interview at the same time as her husband but in a different location, a police spokeswoman said. </s> Police investigating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have recommended to Israel’s attorney general that he be charged with bribery in two cases, Israeli news media reported on Tuesday.

 Netanyahu, who denies wrongdoing, has been questioned several times since the start of 2017. Police can make only a recommendation; the final decision to indict rests with the attorney-general.

Israeli media have reported that one of the two cases involves the receipt of gifts from businessmen and the other is related to conversations Netanyahu is alleged to have held with an Israeli newspaper publisher about limiting competition in the news sector in exchange for more positive coverage.

Police were due to make the official announcement over their recommendations at 8:45 p.m. (18:45 GMT) and Netanyahu was due to respond with a live televised statement minutes later.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> Israel’s attorney general has ordered police to open a criminal investigation into two unspecified matters involving the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Channel 10 television has said.

A spokeswoman for Israel’s justice ministry declined to respond to the report. Netanyahu has in the past denied wrongdoing in the purchase of submarines from Germany, where media have reported a potential conflict of interest involving his lawyer.

The Channel 10 report on Wednesday said one of the two cases that the attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, had been examining was not known to the public.

Israeli attorney general orders inquiry into 'matters relating to Netanyahu' Read more

Netanyahu and his family have been subject to a series of allegations over the past two decades. In 1997, it was decided that there was not enough evidence to charge him over the appointment of an attorney general, though prosecutors said they had a “tangible suspicion” about Netanyahu’s role in the scandal.

According to the New York Times, Netanyahu reacted by saying that he had “erred in the making of the selection, but I did not commit any crime”. He added: “As far as I am concerned, and I think as far as the majority of the public in Israel is concerned, this affair is behind us.”

There followed a series of allegations about the use of public funds in the Netanyahu household. Israeli police recommended in 2000 that Netanyahu – then between his stints as prime minister – be charged with corruption over claims he and his wife, Sara, benefited from more than £60,000 in state gifts.

The attorney general refused, however, saying there were “difficulties with the evidence”, which was not sufficient for a trial.

Netanyahu admitted this year that he had accepted thousands of euros from Arnaud Mimran, who was later convicted of fraud and sentenced to eight years in prison.

And in May it was reported that Sara Netanyahu could face fraud charges over the management of the prime minister’s residence. The claims reportedly focused on whether the state was defrauded into paying for private expenses.

She and her husband’s office have denied any wrongdoing. It has been reported that prosecutors are still looking at the case. </s> Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicted on public corruption charges after a two-year investigation and less than six weeks before the nation’s general election, Israel’s attorney general announced Thursday.

Netanyahu — who is currently serving in his third consecutive term as prime minister and fourth overall — faces one count of bribery and two counts of fraud and breach of trust, NBC News reported.

The most serious charge alleges Netanyahu provided regulatory concessions to Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder in Bezeq telecommunications, in exchange for favorable media coverage from Bezeq’a news site, called Walla, according to Haaretz.

The prime minister is also accused of accepting gifts from wealthy business figures in exchange for political favors.

Another charge centers around an alleged deal with Arnon Mozes for favorable news coverage in return for supporting legislation to damage the newspaper Israel Hayom, owned by American businessman Sheldon Adelson.

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“I’m very worried for freedom of the press and freedom of government in Israel if they start indicting people for trying to get good coverage from the media,” Dershowitz told Army Radio, according to The Times of Israel.

“I don’t know of any other country that has criminalized trying to get good coverage and make that a basis of bribery or any other corruption investigation.”

Israeli law professor Said Avi Bell told NBC News that the indictment inserts law enforcement into the nation’s politics “in an unprecedented way, and on a very shaky legal foundation.”

Netanyahu’s Likud Party responded to the indictment announcement, saying in a statement that “there is nothing” to the cases.

The party accused “the media and the left” of pressuring a “weak” attorney general into the decision. “No one is surprised by the announcement.”

The statement further claimed that “the witch hunt against the prime minister began with an attempt to hit him with four bribery cases. Even before the hearing, three of those have collapsed.”

Asked about the then-anticipated indictment announcement, President Donald Trump told reporters in Vietnam that he did not know about the specific charges.

“I think he’s been a great prime minister,” he said.

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“He’s done a great job as prime minister,” the president added. “He’s tough, he’s smart, he’s strong.”

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards. </s> JERUSALEM – Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was formally charged Thursday with fraud and breach of public trust in a long-running corruption case involving the use of outside caterers in the official prime minister’s residence, state prosecutors said in a statement.

According to the indictment filed in the Jerusalem District Court, Sara Netanyahu and the former deputy director of the prime minister’s office, Ezra Saidoff, were charged with ordering meals to the residence worth a total of $99,000 between 2010 and 2013.

Although the prime minister is not named in this case, the charges against his wife could have far-reaching implications for his political standing and appear likely to damage his public image. Both during his first term as prime minister from 1996 to 1999 and since taking office in 2009, his wife has come under scrutiny for her perceived opulent lifestyle, often being portrayed by the local media as a kind of Marie Antoinette.

In 2016, a former chief caretaker at the official residence successfully sued the couple for abusive treatment, winning about $43,735 in damages. During his testimony, Meni Naftali revealed intimate details about Sara Netanyahu’s lifestyle, including her taste for pink champagne and other luxuries.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is considering indicting Benjamin Netanyahu in two corruption cases on suspicion of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust. Last week, the prime minister was questioned by police as a witness in third case involving several of his close associates and in a fourth case in which he is suspected of playing a direct role.

In Sara Netanyahu’s case, which Israelis refer to as the “meals-ordering affair,” the prime minister’s wife and Saidoff allegedly falsified documents so that food from outside companies and private chefs could be used, even though there was a full-time chef employed at the residence.

According to the indictment sheet, investigators found evidence that Sara Netanyahu asked other employees to hide the fact that a cook was employed at the residence, indicating awareness that ordering meals from outside was a violation of the rules. Some of the testimony was provided by Naftali, who has waged an ongoing public battle calling for the attorney general to submit an indictment against the Netanyahus.

In a statement, lawyers for Sara Netanyahu called the indictment “absurd and delusional” while proclaiming her innocence.

“This is the first time in Israel and around the world that a leader’s wife is prosecuted for food in the trays. There was no fraud or breach of trust or any other offense,” said the statement. “The wife of the prime minister, who is not a public servant, did not even know the procedures, and she told the truth about it when asked in a polygraph test.”

Sara Netanyahu’s team of lawyers went on to accuse Naftali of ordering the food and questioned the very basis of the regulation for managing food orders to the official residence.

“The Netanyahu family is not the one who consumed most of the food and the trays, but many other people, including the household workers,” said the statement. It added that the expenditures also covered hosting “official guests from Israel and around the world.”

Over the past few months, there have been attempts to reach a plea bargain, with the attorney general saying he would be open to Sara Netanyahu’s repayment of the funds in question. Those negotiations appeared to fall apart last week.

The meal-ordering affair has received a great deal of Israeli media coverage. Outlets have published reports on attempts by Sara Netanyahu to clear her name by publicizing the results of a lie detector test on the matter and alleged efforts by one of the family’s top aides to bribe a judge to drop the investigation completely.

In February, the Israel police recommended indicting the prime minister in two other corruption cases, ramping up pressure on the Netanyahus, who continue to deny all the charges against them. They say that all the cases are politically motivated, part of efforts to drive Netanyahu out of office.

In what is known as Case 1000, the police accused the prime minister of receiving gifts worth $280,000 from billionaires in exchange for political favors. In Case 2000, they say he tried to cut a deal with a newspaper publisher in return for favorable coverage.

Last week, Netanyahu was questioned as a witness in Case 3000, also known as the “submarines affair,” which relates to alleged corruption surrounding the purchase of naval vessels and submarines from a German shipbuilder. He has not been named as a suspect, but several of his top aides are accused of having ties to the scheme.
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• Oakland to pay $12 million to motorcyclist hit by cop car Netanyahu was also questioned in Case 4000, which alleges he enacted policies that would financially benefit his friend Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of the telecommunications company Bezeq, in exchange for positive coverage on Elovitch’s Walla news site. </s> TEL AVIV—Israeli police questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a suspect in a third corruption investigation that poses a serious challenge to the embattled leader, who so far has rallied support to maintain power.

Police also questioned the prime minister’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, conducting the interview Friday at the same time as her husband’s but in a different location, a police spokeswoman said. The police haven’t yet ascertained whether the first lady is also a suspect, the spokeswoman said.
The Israeli Prosecutor's Office links Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a corruption case.