High Court lets Knesset legal adviser issue opinion on Netanyahu immunity

The High Court of Justice says Knesset legal adviser Eyal Yinon, who faces accusations by Likud of a conflict of interest in handling Netanyahu’s corruption cases, can nevertheless release his legal opinion allowing the Knesset to consider Netanyahu’s immunity request — and likely to reject it.

Likud MK Miki Zohar files a petition calling on the High Court to rule that Yinon cannot deal with the cases due to a “serious conflict of interest” due to his wife Amit Merari being part of the team of prosecutors who worked on the prime minister’s criminal cases.

In response, High Court Justice Yehudah Amit gives Yinon until Wednesday at 4 p.m. to respond to the claims.

But Justice Amit says Yinon has sent the court a letter announcing he plans to release his decision on Netanyahu’s cases at 4 p.m. today.

Yinon is set to issue a legal opinion on whether the Knesset’s speaker, Likud’s MK Yuli Edelstein, is allowed by law and parliamentary procedure to prevent the formation of the committee of lawmakers empowered to consider Netanyahu’s immunity request.

If the committee meets, it is expected to decide against granting Netanyahu immunity, opening up the prime minister to formal indictments before the March 2 election.

Netanyahu had hoped to stall the immunity process until after election day.

In his letter to the High Court, Yinon says that since he had made it clear as early as Thursday that he planned to announce his decision on Sunday, and since the petition against his doing so does not call for an immediate blocking of his decision until a final High Court ruling is announced, he still plans to release his opinion on Sunday afternoon.

Knesset Speaker Edelstein, who had called a press conference on the subject for 1:15 p.m., announces that he will delay his own comment until 5 p.m., after he has read Yinon’s legal opinion.

— Raoul Wootliff