Coalition advances bill to repeal criminal charge that Netanyahu is on trial for

Coalition lawmakers are advancing a bill to repeal the crime of fraud and breach of trust – one of the charges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently on trial for.

In a statement, Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee head Simcha Rothman, coalition whip Ofir Katz, and New Hope MK Mishel Buskila say that the offense “severely harms the principle of legality and the foundations of criminal law,” and is redundant since Israel already has other laws that address corruption, including bribery and money laundering.

They claim that breach of trust is a “vague offense” which has been “sharply criticized by legal experts from across the political spectrum,” and allege, without evidence, that the charge has been used by law enforcement agencies to “police elected officials and public servants for conduct that is not defined as a crime under the Penal Code, and can retroactively determine what is considered criminal at their discretion.”

The proposed legislation would also establish “clear offenses that currently have no adequate definition in law,” including conflict of interest regarding close relatives and governmental insider trading.

The bill is expected to be discussed during the Ministerial Committee for Legislation next week before advancing to the Knesset.

The premier is on trial for fraud and breach of trust in three cases and bribery in one of them. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing and claims all three cases were fabricated by the police and state prosecution in an attempted political coup.

The coalition has previously tried to advance bills regarding Netanyahu’s trial, including a proposed bill in October to delay the trial, which Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara called “unconstitutional.”