High Court nixes Netanyahu request for new hearing on order to return $270,000 gift

The High Court of Justice rejects a request from incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for an additional hearing after it ordered him to return $270,000 to the estate of his deceased cousin and former benefactor Nathan Milikowsky, ruling that the funds were an illicit gift.

In an October ruling, the court determined that money received by Netanyahu and his wife Sara to fund their legal fees while he served as prime minister during his last term was a prohibited gift to a public servant.

The justices ruled that although Milikowsky and Netanyahu were cousins, business interests were a more dominant factor in the reason for the gift, and the money went way beyond what was acceptable as a routine gift between family members.

In his response, Netanyahu’s attorney Uriel Nizri claimed the court did not have the authority to make such a ruling and requested that the matter be handled by the State Comptroller’s Permits Committee, but the court rejected this today.