Netanyahu lawyer: Milchan gave Sara 20 champagne bottles in sympathy for police probe
PM’s corruption trial continues to address ‘supply line’ of gifts to couple, with senior police official saying alcohol was requested even in absence of special occasions

The chief police investigator into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s alleged graft testified Wednesday that the premier’s wife once received 20 bottles of champagne in a week from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan as part of a “supply line” of gifts for no particular reason.
The premier’s defense attorney reportedly responded that the bottles were a gift meant to express sympathy with Sara Netanyahu, who had undergone a police investigation.
Deputy Superintendent Shlomo Meshulam was questioned by Netanyahu’s defense attorney Amit Hadad on the gifts given by Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. The premier has denied that they constituted a continuous supply of presents, instead claiming that they were only given on special occasions.
The questioning was part of so-called Case 1000, which revolves around luxury gifts received by Netanyahu and his family from those moguls, and quid pro quos he is accused of having provided in return. The indictment against Netanyahu alleges that he assisted Milchan with US visa issues and regulatory and tax benefits relating to his business interests.
“You did not check on a practical level whether deliveries were connected to occasions, or if they were just because?” Hadad asked Meshulam.
The investigator pushed back, saying that they had in fact double-checked with a number of other witnesses, including Milchan, his assistant Hadas Klein, and Sara Netanyahu.
“I want to give an example of an instance that we confronted Sara Netanyahu with, regarding a week in which they received 20 bottles of champagne, and she confirmed that there were no celebrations that week. That’s just one example to show you that we aren’t talking about special occasions,” Meshulam said.
In response, Hadad claimed that Milchan gave the champagne to “commiserate” over a police investigation into impropriety at the prime minister’s residence. It was unclear if the attorney was referring to the probe into the premier’s wife’s misuse of state funds, or accusations of staff mistreatment.
Klein had previously testified that Netanyahu told Milchan he was “proud of his wife for going through the investigation,” and that he then put Sara on the phone, at which point she requested the alcohol.
When the Hollywood mogul told the premier’s wife that it would be difficult to deliver the bottles because his driver was on vacation, she said that it “could wait until Sunday,” according to the testimony.

Hadad also suggested to Meshulam that the fact that Netanyahu had on occasion bought his own cigars contradicted the claim of a “supply line.”
“Even if Netanyahu bought his own, that was in addition to Milchan’s supply line,” Meshulam told the court.
“There were a lot of contradictions in [Netanyahu’s] account [of events],” he said.
Meshulam also said that while Netanyahu claimed there was a friendship with Milchan, the mogul in fact said that the premier “complicated his life.”
Hadad also asked Meshulam why the Netanyahus’ drivers had not been questioned in the original investigation.
The senior police officer responded that it had not seemed necessary initially, as the premier and his wife did not deny that they had received gifts.

It was reported Sunday that with no end in sight for the landmark corruption trial, prosecutors and defense teams were nearing an agreement to forgo dozens of scheduled court testimonies and significantly shorten the proceedings.
The trial began three years ago and, as things stand, the proceedings, including potential appeals, are seen as unlikely to end before 2028-2029.
Several weeks ago, a report said that one of the three judges in the trial had asked the state prosecution and the defense teams to consider a non-binding “criminal mediation” process, in part because the proceedings were proving so protracted.
Lawyers for Netanyahu “did not rule out the idea,” the report said, and Judge Oded Shaham asked the state to weigh it. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara will therefore have to decide if she wants to pursue this option.
Mediation is generally held before a serving judge (not one of the judges in the trial), who does not hear witnesses and does not restart the trial. Rather, the judge tries to work toward what amounts to a potential plea bargain.
Netanyahu is on trial in three cases, facing one count of bribery and three counts of fraud and breach of trust. He denies any wrongdoing and accuses police, prosecutors and the media of colluding against him.