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Israel’s Attorney-General intends to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges, a decision coming just six weeks before a closely contested national election.
Key points:
- Israeli PM accused of accepting gifts worth up to $372,000, including cigars and champagne
- He faces up to 13 years in prison for bribery and breach of trust
- Mr Netanyahu denies allegations, claims they are part of a “witch hunt” by the left to derail the April 9 election
The dramatic move, the first time a serving Israeli prime minister has been put on official notice of planned prosecution, deepened uncertainty over the right-wing leader’s re-election prospects.
Mr Netanyahu is suspected of wrongfully accepting gifts worth up to $US264,000 (about $372,000), which prosecutors said included cigars and champagne, from wealthy businessmen and dispensing favours in alleged bids for favourable coverage by a newspaper and a website.
He could face up to 10 years in jail if convicted of bribery and a maximum three-year term for fraud and breach of trust.
Mr Netanyahu, 69, has denied any wrongdoing in the three long-running corruption investigations against him.
In a televised statement, Mr Netanyahu said he was the victim of a political “witch hunt”.
“There is nothing to these [allegations],” he said.
“This entire house of cards will collapse.”
“The pressure of the left worked,” he said, adding that his impending indictment threatened the country’s democracy.
He has said he has no intention of resigning and pledged to continue as prime minister “for many more years”.
The actual filing of charges, which include bribery, fraud and breach of trust, will depend on the outcome of a required hearing, the Justice Ministry said in a statement.
At that hearing — which could take place after the April 9 election — Mr Netanyahu can try to persuade Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit not to indict him.
Polls show tight race ahead of election
Mr Netanyahu, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term, is set to become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister this summer if he wins the election.
In December, Israeli police recommended that Mr Netanyahu be indicted for bribery and fraud and breach of trust, with Mr Mandelblit left to make a final decision on whether to press charges.
Opinion polls have shown a tight race for Mr Netanyahu, with sharp gains for a centre-left alliance that could score an upset over Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party.
Anshel Pfeffer, author of a recent Netanyahu biography, said on Twitter that Israel was entering “uncharted waters” in which “no-one has any idea how being a prime minister under notice of indictment will effect Netanyahu and his government”.
US President Donald Trump, asked about Mr Netanyahu’s legal troubles, voiced support for the right-wing leader.
Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu have been in lockstep over policy towards Iran and the Palestinians.
“Well, I just think he has been a great prime minister,” said Mr Trump, who held a summit in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Reuters/AP
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