Security increased for AG after protests and graffiti
Permanent guard to be placed outside home of Avichai Mandelblit, who is overseeing corruption probes of prime minister
The justice ministry has decided to boost the security presence in front of Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s home, Channel 10 reported Monday.
Mandelblit announced in January that a criminal investigation involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been launched, about seven months after an initial probe was opened.
Since then, weekly protests against Netanyahu have been held every Saturday evening outside Mandelblit’s Petah Tikva residence.
Demonstrators claim that the attorney general has been too lenient with Netanyahu in the investigations against him, citing the drawn-out process.
The demonstrations were kickstarted by Menny Naftali, a former caretaker at the prime minister’s official residence, who was awarded NIS 170,000 (about $43,735) in damages in February after a labor court accepted his claims of mistreatment by Sara Netanyahu during his employment.
Subsequently, graffiti on Mandeblit’s home was noticed by neighbors and passersby, reading “jail for the corrupt,” “collaborator” and “champagnes”– a reference to one of the Netanyahu investigations with the word next to a US dollar sign.
In response, the security branch of the Justice Ministry has decided not to take any chances, significantly increasing Mandelblit’s security detail. A permanent security guard will be posted outside of his home in addition to other unspecified security measures, Channel 10 said.
A special team of investigators has been assigned to open a probe into the vandalism as well.
The attorney general is overseeing the inquiry into Netanyahu, who is suspected of illicitly accepting gifts from wealthy benefactors and taking actions on their behalf in a graft investigation dubbed Case 1000.
In leaked transcripts of recordings from a second investigation, known as Case 2000, Netanyahu is heard holding negotiations with the publisher of the Yedioth Aharonoth daily, Arnon Mozes, on possible legislation to hobble the Sheldon Adelson-controlled Israel Hayom paper in exchange for more favorable coverage from Yedioth.
Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing.