Investigator Testifies Netanyahu Trial: Why Was Ex-Walla CEO Not Questioned Under Warning?

A police investigator testified in the Netanyahu trial that he had warned his commander about the decision not to question Ilan Yeshua, a key prosecution witness in Case 4000, under caution. Investigator Tzachi Ben-Hamo told the court that when he asked how the decision could be justified in court, his commander, Yoav Talem, responded, "It won't get to trial." Ben-Hamo, who was involved in other investigations including that of state witness Nir Hefetz, was questioned by Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Haddad, about negotiations with Yeshua regarding him becoming a state witness and the decision not to issue a caution. Ben-Hamo stated he believed Yeshua should have been questioned as a suspect, explaining his concern about the difficulty of relying on Yeshua's testimony and the need to explain to the court why he wasn't cautioned. He recalled asking Talem, then head of investigations for the National Bureau for Economic Crime, and receiving the response, "It won't get to trial." When asked if he had encountered a similar situation before, Ben-Hamo replied he did not recall one. He confirmed he had raised the issue with Talem. Judge Moshe Bar-Am questioned Ben-Hamo on the importance of understanding the rationale behind the unusual decision, to which Ben-Hamo replied he had asked and was told there was approval from the attorney general. The prosecution, however, rejected this interpretation, stating Ben-Hamo misunderstood the situation at the time and is mistaken in his current testimony. They emphasized that Yeshua was never given any promises, did not receive state witness status, and his standing did not change during the investigation.