The criminal allegations against Netanyahu, as set out by Israel’s AG

Amid indications that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek to advance legislation to render himself immune from prosecution in three criminal cases in which he is facing indictment, and that he will also seek to prevent Israel’s Supreme Court from intervening in this effort, The Times of Israel here publishes the first full translation of the interim charge sheet against Netanyahu.

The original Hebrew document, signed by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who has overseen the criminal investigation of the prime minister, was sent to Netanyahu on February 28, 2019, and was also made publicly available. It specifies that the attorney general intends to charge Netanyahu with fraud and breach of trust in all three cases, and with bribery in one of them. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing. He has alleged that the investigation, the subsequent police recommendation to charge him, and Mandelblit’s subsequent decision to press charges pending a final hearing, constitute a witch hunt and a political vendetta pursued by the political opposition, the media, the police and the state prosecution.

Prior to the April 9 elections, Netanyahu gave mixed signals when asked whether he would seek to evade prosecution by means of Knesset legislation to guarantee himself immunity and to prevent the Supreme Court from overturning that immunity. On one occasion, in a late March television interview, he dismissed the idea but then backtracked within seconds. On May 15, a Channel 12 television report claimed Netanyahu had conclusively decided to legislate in order to avoid prosecution for as long as he remains in office. It claimed Netanyahu and members of his close circle had begun briefing Likud MKs “on how to market this to the public.”

The TV report quoted what it said was the message Netanyahu had conveyed to Likud MKs, as follows: “The citizens of Israel deserve a full-time prime minister. I’ll deal with my legal issues when I have completed my time [as prime minister]. The citizens of Israel knew about my legal situation and elected me. If I were focused on my personal best interests, I’d manage my legal battle as prime minister and not as an ordinary citizen, but I recognize that this is not in the best interests of the state.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and Supreme Court president Esther Hayut attend the Israel Prize ceremony in Jerusalem, on Israel’s 71st Independence Day, on May 9, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Opposition politicians and some legal analysts have argued that the passage of retroactive legislation designed to render a prime minister immune from prosecution for alleged offenses committed while in office, and of legislation formulated to prevent the Supreme Court from overturning such a decision, would constitute a major breach of Israeli democracy.

The three cases against Netanyahu can be summarized as follows: Case 1000 involves accusations that Netanyahu received gifts and benefits from billionaire benefactors including Israeli-born Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan in exchange for favors; Case 2000 involves accusations that Netanyahu agreed with Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper publisher Arnon Mozes to weaken a rival daily in return for more favorable coverage from Yedioth; and Case 4000 widely seen as the most serious against the premier, involves accusations that Netanyahu advanced regulatory decisions that benefited Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder in the Bezeq telecom giant, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, in exchange for positive coverage from its Walla news site.

Here, however, is the full charge sheet, as conveyed by Mandelblit to Netanyahu, spelling out in great detail the substance of the allegations in each of the three cases. (This translation is unofficial, and any mistakes are ToI’s own.)