Mandelblit says he doesn’t remember if Netanyahu was cautioned on bribery charge, wording was ‘ambiguous’

Former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit says he does not remember whether the caution he issued to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before questioning in the criminal investigations against him included a suspicion of bribery, and acknowledges that the wording of the caution was “ambiguous.”

Mandelblit, who indicted Netanyahu in 2020, is testifying today in the Jerusalem District Court for the third time.

Asked by Netanyahu’s defense attorney Amit Hadad what crime specifically he authorized the prosecution to investigate as reflected in the wording of the caution to Netanyahu, Mandelblit says, “I don’t remember if the caution was for bribery.”

Judge Moshe Bar Am challenges Mandelblit, asking him, “What did you think the prosecution was investigating?” Mandelblit responds, “I think that it could be that I said to investigate him for ethical misconduct offenses.”

Hadad asserts this claim is not true, saying that the phrase “ethical misconduct offenses” never appeared in minutes of meetings between Mandelblit and the prosecution.

Questioned further on the issue, Mandelblit says that the text of the caution to Netanyahu was “ambiguously worded,” leading Bar Am to ask “Do you think it is appropriate to have ‘ambiguous wording’ for matters concerning the prime minister?”

Mandelblit says in response that he wanted to have wording in the caution that was “something between bribery and breach of trust,” adding that the wording of the caution was more suited to breach of trust, but was ambiguous enough to enable an investigation into other crimes.

Mandelblit indicted Netanyahu for fraud and breach of trust in Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000, and for taking a bribe in the form of positive media coverage in Case 4000.

The wording of the caution to Netanyahu is important, because if he was never told he was suspected of bribery before being charged with the offense, he would not have been given a fair chance to defend himself from that allegation before being indicted for it.