The pre-indictment hearing for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began on Wednesday and is schedule to take place over four days. Netanyahu's representatives, attorneys Amit Hadad, Ram Caspi, and Yossi Ashkenazi, arrived at the office Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit to present their arguments.
The first mission for Netanyahu's defense team is to try and convince Mendelblit and his staff to avoid indicting the prime minister in three different cases of alleged corruption in which he is a suspect, or at least reduce the charges.
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As the meeting began, Caspi said, "There is material that can change the way things seem. The issue of clemency or a plea bargain is not on the table."
Hadad added, "We will present the evidence we are all familiar with, as well as new evidence. We are certain that when we are finished presenting our side, there will be no option other than to close the case. We believe in the hearing process. We are not talking about a deal. We believe that in the end, all three cases must be closed."
A brief overview of the cases:
In Case 1,000, Netanyahu is suspected of fraud and breach of trust for allegedly accepting bribes in the form of presents worth some 700,000 shekels ($200,000) from two wealthy businessmen. The hearing is scheduled to review the charges in Case 1,000 on Monday.
In Case 2,000, Netanyahu is suspected of fraud and breach of trust for allegedly conspiring with the publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Arnon "Noni" Mozes, to limit the circulation of Israel Hayom in exchange for favorable coverage in the former publication. The charges are scheduled to be reviewed on Sunday.
The most serious charge against Netanyahu is bribery, of which he has been accused in Case 4,000, which involves allegations that Netanyahu traded financial benefits for the Bezeq telecommunications corporation for positive coverage of him and his family when he held the communications portfolio. The charges in Case 4,000 will be reviewed on Wednesday and Thursday.
Netanyahu's defense team has already scored a small victory. Shortly before Rosh Hashanah, Mendelblit announced that he had agreed to their request to extend the hearing from two days to four, which would allow his attorneys time to present all their arguments.
After the hearing, all the officials involved in all the cases will meet to examine the merits of the defense and determine how they affect the overall legal picture. When the hearing process is complete, Mendelblit will have to decide whether or not to indict Netanyahu, in which cases and on what counts. He is expected to make his decision before State Attorney Shai Nitzan resigns from office in December.
In the prime minister's inner circle, tensions were running high ahead of the start of the hearing. Close associates were saying that Netanyahu believes that if he is given due process, he can demonstrate that the most serious allegations against him are baseless. Netanyahu is expected to argue that the decisions he made regarding the Bezeq corporation were supported by expert advisers and that they had nothing to do with his family's ties to the primary shareholder, Shaul Elovitch.
Netanyahu is not expected to attend the hearings.
If Mendelblit does decide to indict the prime minister, it could take many months before the trial begins. Netanyahu could also seek a plea deal.
If he is still in office as prime minister, Netanyahu would be under no strict legal obligation to quit. According to Israeli law, a prime minister must step down if ultimately convicted, but can stay in office throughout legal proceedings including appeals.
Netanyahu's supporters in the legislature have said they would support granting him parliamentary immunity from prosecution, but it is unclear whether there are enough lawmakers who would back such a move.
Bribery charges carry a sentence of up to 10 years in jail and/or a fine. Fraud and breach of trust carry a prison sentence of up to three years.
