Netanyahu Seeks Former Attorney General Mandeblit's Testimony in Corruption Trial

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested that former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit testify in his corruption trial, with the defense aiming for October 11, before the upcoming elections. Mandelblit was the one who indicted Netanyahu. Netanyahu's defense attorneys are seeking seven days of testimony from Mandelblit.

The trial is currently in the defense's evidence stage, after Netanyahu himself finished testifying for a year and a half in June. The defense has argued that Mandelblit did not obtain the necessary approval as required by law before opening an investigation. While it's undisputed that written approval was not obtained, Mandelblit stated in a memo that oral approval was given for the investigation's commencement. The judges had previously criticized the lack of written approval.

Throughout the trial, the defense has sought to demonstrate that investigative actions were taken before Mandelblit officially approved the investigation. In January 2021, the prosecution submitted a memo from Mandelblit to the judges regarding the requirement for approvals to open investigations against the Prime Minister in the "Files 1000" cases. The memo stated that not only was initial consent given for the probes in the three cases, but Mandelblit also personally approved investigative actions at various stages. He detailed the dates he made decisions to initiate preliminary criminal probes that later evolved into full investigations.

Mandelblit asserted that consent could be documented internally or through other means, arguing that if the legislature intended a stricter requirement, such as written consent, it would have been explicitly stated. The Netanyahu trial has been ongoing for six years, commencing in January 2020. At the time of the indictment, Mandelblit stated he made the decision "with a heavy heart, but with a whole heart," calling it a difficult and sad day for Israel and himself personally.

A panel of judges, including Rivka Friedman Feldman, Moshe Bar-Am, and Oded Shaham, had previously ruled dramatically that the trial would proceed five days a week after the holidays, a decision Netanyahu and his lawyers strongly opposed.