Defense questions scope of police approvals in Netanyahu trial

Former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit testified at the Jerusalem District Court on Monday regarding the boundaries of police authority in the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The defense is focusing on whether investigators exceeded the specific permissions Mandelblit granted when he authorized the original probes and later signed off on the indictment. Netanyahu’s lawyer, Amit Hadad, asked Mandelblit to clarify which investigative steps required further consent and which fell within the initial mandate.

Mandelblit stated on Sunday that he ordered police to stop wiretapping Natan Eshel, a close confidant of the prime minister, after learning of the operation. Although investigators had a court warrant, Mandelblit argued that tapping someone so involved in Netanyahu’s personal and political affairs was sensitive enough to warrant prior approval from his office.

The hearing on Monday shifted to the preliminary examination that evolved into Case 1000, which involves alleged gifts from businessmen Arnon Milchan and James Packer and actions taken to benefit Milchan. Hadad questioned whether police went beyond their authorization when they interviewed Hadas Klein, Milchan’s assistant, and Yonatan Hasson, Packer’s driver, about the gifts.

Mandelblit maintained that questioning these individuals fell within his wider permission to examine suspicions that Netanyahu received substantial benefits from businessmen. He said that permission remained in force, meaning investigators did not have to return to him for approval of each individual action.

Judge Moshe Bar-Am asked how investigators were to distinguish between steps covered by that authorization and those requiring additional consent. Mandelblit answered that the subject matter he approved set the boundaries, while significant developments called for further consultation.

Netanyahu’s trial began in May 2020 and covers three cases involving alleged gifts and dealings with media owners. He faces charges of fraud and breach of trust in all three, plus a bribery charge in Case 4000 concerning alleged regulatory benefits for Bezeq in exchange for intervention in the news coverage of Walla. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing.