Netanyahu defense tries to portray Milchan as an old man with a ‘fading’ memory

Defense lawyers for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempt to cast doubt upon the credibility of prosecution witness Arnon Milchan, saying the 78-year-old Hollywood mogul’s memory must be fading.

Discussing a free trade zone that Milchan and Indian businessman Ratan Tata tried to promote between Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan, defense attorney Amit Hadad charges that Milchan could not clearly remember events that happened “more than a decade ago.”

“Certify to me that in all of your interrogations, in your witness testimony,” which Milchan delivered yesterday on the subject, “they didn’t present you real-time documents connected to Tata,” but rather “they let you speak from an old memory that was faded and broken.”

Milchan responds that his memory “is neither faded nor broken.”

Milchan had approached Netanyahu to help advance the project, and later brokered a meeting with Tata, which Milchan says was meant to facilitate introductions to India’s prime minister.

Hadad also emphasized Milchan’s closeness to Netanyahu as a basis for Milchan’s extensive gift-giving.

The defense attorney points to a letter that Netanyahu sent Milchan upon entering office in 2009, saying it “shows deep friendship.”

Similarly, Hadad says that the Netanyahu and Milchans mutually engaged in gift giving, pointing to tokens that Sara Netanyahu gave to Milchan’s wife, Amanda.

“The mutual gifts Sara gave to Amanda and the children and the gifts you gave — this is part of that friendship,” Hadad says.

The proceedings are in recess until tomorrow.