Sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to his defense on Sunday, blasting Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit for saying that the prime minister may have broken the law prohibiting public officials from receiving high-valued gifts.
Netanyahu accepted some $270,000 from his uncle Nathan Milikowsky in order to cover his wife's legal fees during her recent trial, in which she was accused of defrauding the state.
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In his statement to the High Court of Justice on Sunday, Mendelblit said that despite the language of the law stipulating that a prime minister cannot receive monetary benefits and gifts, it "does not mean such gifts have to be given directly to the prime minister."
According to Mendelblit's interpretation, "it is possible that the law could be applied to benefits given to the spouse of the prime minister or someone else who is close to him."
"The attorney general has lost all self-restraint. He has decided to topple Prime Minister Netanyahu at any cost and is rushing at him like an out of control locomotive without brakes," a source close to Netanyahu said. "The attorney general's answer to the High Court is further proof of the persecution and bogus charges against Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife. The attorney general's attempt to reverse the Permits Committee's decision with a baseless explanation exposes his true and unconcealed intention – to work toward the prime minister's replacement."
According to the original indictment, Sara Netanyahu, along with a government employee, fraudulently obtained from the state hundreds of meals supplied by restaurants, with a total value of some $100,000, bypassing regulations that prohibit the practice if a cook is employed at home.
As part of the revised indictment and a plea bargain, the fraud charge was dropped. Instead, Netanyahu was charged with intentionally exploiting another person's mishandling of state money for her own benefit. Netanyahu also agreed to pay the state 45,000 shekels ($12,500) in reimbursement and a 10,000 shekel ($2,800) fine.
Another source close to Netanyahu said: "Throughout the entire legal process against the prime minister and his wife, Mendelblit's decisions have been replete with contradictions. Every time there's concern that a previous decision of his will hamper his chances of indicting [Netanyahu], he changes his decision 180 degrees. For example, in 2018 Mendelblit determined that the Gift Law doesn't apply to support from a sponsor in the form of funding legal defense – and now, after sensing that this decision will hurt his ability to indict, he changes it. Mendelblit was also the person who sent the prime minister to the Permits Committee to approve the funding for his legal costs, only to deny him this funding after the committee said the prime minister could receive it. All of the attorney general's actions indicate that his goal is to prevent the prime minister from receiving a fair trial."
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