Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit informs Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lawyers that he will be charged with criminal wrongdoing in three separate cases against him, including for bribery in the far-reaching Bezeq corruption probe, pending a hearing.
The dramatic decision marks the first time in Israel’s history that a serving prime minister has been told he faces criminal charges, and is sure to rock Israeli politics less than six weeks before general elections.
Despite recommendations from the state attorney and police that the prime minister stand trial for bribery in all of the cases, Mandelblit opts for the lesser charge of breach of trust in two of the affairs, known as Cases 1000 and 2000.
Netanyahu will be notified that he can request a hearing to contest the planned indictment, in a process that could take up to a year, during which time he is not legally obliged to step down. It’s not clear if Netanyahu could continue to serve after being formally charged with criminal offenses.
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 28, 2019
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