Netanyahu indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust
Israel’s attorney general has indicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “receiving a bribe, fraud, and breach of trust" in a development that could prove fatal to his political career.
Avichai Mandelblit decided to file charges against Netanyahu in three corruption sagas, dubbed Case 1000, 2000, and 4000, Israel’s justice ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
In Case 1000, Netanyahu had been suspected of receiving lavish gifts from businessmen overseas. Case 2000 concerned a media bribery scheme to help Israel’s Yediot Aharonot newspaper against its competitor Yisrael Hayom in return for favorable coverage for Netanyahu. And Case 4000 had involved allegations that Netanyahu offered incentives to the Israeli telecom provider Bezeq in return for positive stories in Israel’s Walla news website.
The indictment breaks ground in being the first such verdict to be issued against an incumbent Israeli premier, and the longest-serving one in the case of Netanyahu, who has been in the office since 2009.
The premier could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of bribery and a maximum three-year term for fraud and breach of trust.
Though he has denied all charges, Netanyahu would be forced from office if he loses all available chances of appeal.
Netanyahu also faces a Case 3000, which focuses on suspicion of corruption surrounding Israel's $2-billion purchase of Dolphin-class nuclear-arms-capable submarines from German shipbuilding company ThyssenKrupp.
The corruption cases has earned him the nickname “crime minister” by Israelis, who had been holding regular rallies in front of the attorney general’s residence to promote his indictment.
In the run-up to issuance of the verdict, United States President Donald Trump was seen ramping up his support for Netanyahu by calling him a reliable choice for re-election. Israeli streets would, meanwhile, host huge promotional posters featuring a handshake between the two.
Trump has already taken unprecedented moves in support of Israel during his presidency by endorsing the regime’s claim over the holy occupied city of Jerusalem al-Quds as “Israel’s capital,” and recognizing Syria’s Tel Aviv-occupied Golan Heights as “Israeli territory.”
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