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Netanyahu Indictment Officially Sent to Knesset; Immunity Request Expected

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Edited by: TJVNews.com

Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit on Monday sent a letter to Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein informing him that the trial against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take place in the Jerusalem District Court, if the prime minister chooses to waive his immunity as a member of the Knesset.

The letter included a long list of state witnesses who will be called upon to testify against Netanyahu in the trial, including politicians, top security officials, businessmen and diplomats.

Starting Monday, Netanyahu has 30 days to decide whether he will waive his immunity and face charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust as a sitting prime minister. This would be a first for a sitting prime minister in Israel’s history.

The 30 days were supposed to start when Netanyahu was indicted two weeks ago, but Netanyahu’s legal counsel made the claim that they were not given the necessary information in time, and therefore the 30-day countdown for the decision on immunity should be postponed.

Mandelblit accepted their claim and started the 30-day countdown on Monday.

Netanyahu responded to the long list of state witnesses against him, claiming it will make no difference, because there is no “real case” against him.

“When there is a real case, you don’t need 333 witnesses, and when there is no real case, even 333 witnesses won’t help,” Netanyahu tweeted.

In all three cases in which he is a suspect — cases 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 — Netanyahu is charged with fraud and breach of trust (under Israeli law “fraud and breach of trust” is one count). In Case 4,000, Netanyahu also faces a bribery charge.

In Case 1,000, Netanyahu is accused of receiving gifts worth over $200,000 from friends over an extended period, while Case 2,000 and Case 4,000 both involve alleged attempts by Netanyahu to secure positive media coverage in exchange for political favors.

In Case 4,000 — considered the most serious of the three — Netanyahu is accused of expediting a regulatory change toward the merger of Israel’s two largest telecommunications companies, Bezeq and YES, in exchange for positive coverage on the Walla! news portal.

The official submission of the indictment, some two weeks after it was unveiled, triggered a d30-day period during which Netanyahu can seek immunity by making a formal request to the Knesset’s House Committee.

Under Israeli law, the committee can grant such a request if convinced that the indictment would be of great detriment to the state or if there are other unique circumstances.

It is unclear whether the committee will be able to vote on any such request, however, since the Knesset has yet to formally appoint committee members. There is also the question of whether the Knesset is allowed to deliberate on such matters during a transition period between two governments.

In a letter enclosed with the indictment, Mandlebilt wrote that the document adhered to the Knesset Immunity Law, despite earlier objections raised by Netanyahu’s legal team.

“Today, December 2, 2019, will mark the beginning of the 30 days [Netanyahu] may request from the Knesset that the state will grant him immunity,” wrote Mandelblit.

             (TPS & JNS)

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