TV: Judges in Netanyahu case told prosecutors it’ll be hard to prove bribery charge

The judges in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial told prosecutors that it would be hard to prove the bribery accusations against him in one of the three cases he’s charged over, Channel 13 news reports.

According to the network, the three Jerusalem District Court judges informed prosecutors and Netanyahu’s defense team during a closed-door meeting this week. The report, which doesn’t cite a source, describes the meeting as a message toward judges and could be aimed at encouraging a plea deal or non-binding mediation.

Netanyahu was indicted for fraud and breach of trust in all three cases, but only the more serious charge of bribery in so-called Case 4000, in which he’s alleged to have advanced regulatory decisions that immensely benefited Shaul Elovitch, who was the controlling shareholder in Bezeq, despite opposition from Communication Ministry officials. In exchange, he allegedly was given what amounted to editorial control over Bezeq’s Walla news site.

Elovitch and his wife have also been charged with bribery in the case. All three defendants deny wrongdoing.