Netanyahu Trial: Mandelblit Returns to Stand

Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit returned to the Jerusalem District Court on Monday to continue testifying in the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The trial began in May 2020 and involves three distinct cases regarding alleged gifts and media dealings. Mandelblit authorized the initial investigations and later approved the indictment against the prime minister.

Defense attorney Amit Hadad focused his questioning on the specific limits of the permissions Mandelblit granted to investigators. Hadad asked which steps required explicit approval and what police were allowed to examine independently.

On Sunday, Mandelblit testified that he ordered police to cease wiretapping Natan Eshel, a close confidant of Netanyahu. Although investigators held a court warrant, Mandelblit stated that the sensitivity of listening to someone involved in the prime minister's personal affairs required prior consultation.

The hearing also addressed Case 1000, which centers on gifts from businessmen Arnon Milchan and James Packer. Hadad questioned whether investigators overstepped their authority when they examined Hadas Klein, Milchan's assistant, and Yonatan Hasson, Packer's driver, about the gifts.

Mandelblit maintained that these interrogations fell within the broad permission to investigate substantial benefits received from businessmen. He argued that investigators did not need to return for approval on every individual action as long as the subject remained within his original mandate.

Judge Moshe Bar-Am asked how investigators could distinguish between authorized steps and those requiring further consent. Mandelblit replied that the approved subject set the boundaries, while major developments necessitated additional consultation. Netanyahu faces fraud and breach-of-trust charges in all three cases, along with a bribery charge in Case 4000 concerning Bezeq and Walla. He denies all wrongdoing.