AG: Netanyahu must receive clearance for friends to fund his legal fees
After PM asks whether wealthy acquaintances can help cover costs of his defense in corruption probes, Mandelblit says State Comptroller committee must weigh request
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Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Wednesday said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must receive special legal permission to have his wealthy associates cover his legal fees in a series of corruption investigations against him.
The move came after attorneys for the prime minister asked the Justice Ministry if US tycoon Spencer Partrich and Nathan Milikowsky — Netanyahu’s cousin — can pay the legal costs in three graft investigations, including a probe that centers on lavish gifts from the prime minister’s billionaire friends.
In a letter on Wednesday, Mandelblit notified the state comptroller that its Permits Committee must decide if it “justified under the circumstances and publicly correct” for the prime minister to receive the funding, despite the limitation on civil servants — and ministers in particular — from accepting gifts or funding beyond their state salaries.
Mandelblit said that if approval is given, it will be necessary to monitor the funding to ensure it is only used for legal fees. It will call for the appointment of a trustee to oversee the process, lay down limits on the amounts the prime minister receives, define how long the permission is for and its limits, and set out a system of auditing, transparency and oversight.
The attorney general said that if the scheme is approved, it must also ensure that Netanyahu is not in any way involved in matters relating to the two backers or their business activities due to a possible conflict of interest.
Three months ago, Netanyahu asked the Prime Minister’s Office legal adviser to examine the possibility of having Spencer and Milikowsky pay his legal fees. Clarification was needed because of the legal restrictions on the prime minister receiving personal funding. Ministers can seek permission from the Permits Committee on a case-by-case basis.
Netanyahu is a suspect in three police investigations.
In Case 1000, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are suspected of receiving illicit gifts amounting to some NIS 1 million ($282,000) worth of lavish gifts from the Israeli-born Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian resort owner James Packer, allegedly in return for certain benefits.
Case 2000 involves a suspected illicit quid pro quo deal between Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper publisher Arnon Mozes that would have seen the prime minister weaken a rival daily, the Sheldon Adelson-backed Israel Hayom, in return for more favorable coverage from Yedioth.
Case 4000 involves suspicions that Netanyahu, who served as communications minister for several years over his past two terms as premier, advanced regulatory decisions benefiting Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of Israel’s largest telecommunications firm, Bezeq, in exchange for flattering coverage of the Netanyahus from the Elovitch-owned Walla news site.
Milikowsky, a former steel executive who resides in the US, provided testimony to the Israel Police’s Lahav 433 unit regarding Case 1000, in which the prime minister is a central suspect, the Kan public broadcaster — at the time known as Channel 1 — reported in August 2017.
The Times of Israel Community.