Former Attorney General Mandelblit Testifies in Netanyahu Corruption Trial

Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is set to testify on Wednesday in the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mandelblit, who made the decision to indict Netanyahu, was summoned by the defense. The defense claims that investigative actions in the case began before Mandelblit officially approved them, as required by law.

Mandelblit served as Netanyahu's cabinet secretary between 2013 and 2016, after his tenure as the Military Advocate General. Netanyahu promoted Mandelblit's appointment as Attorney General, a position he held from February 2016 to early 2022. Shortly after he took office, investigations into Cases 1000 and 2000 commenced, with an official announcement of a probe into the Prime Minister in July 2016. Mandelblit currently serves as dean of the law faculty at the Academic College of Ramat Gan.

The defense has requested Mandelblit's testimony over seven days, aiming to prove that he did not provide the legally required approval to initiate the investigation. While there is no dispute that written approval was not given, the prosecution contends that Mandelblit verbally authorized the investigation and that all subsequent actions were done with his consent, citing a memo from Mandelblit.

In January 2021, the prosecution submitted a memo to the judges stating that Mandelblit not only gave initial consent to the probes but also personally approved investigative actions at various stages. The memo detailed dates of decisions to launch preliminary criminal examinations that evolved into full investigations. Mandelblit argued that consent could be documented through internal notes or other means, and that the law explicitly specifies when written consent is required.

The indictment against Netanyahu, which includes three charges, was filed in January 2020. Mandelblit announced his decision to indict in November 2019, stating in a public address that he made the decision with a "heavy heart, but a whole heart," calling it a difficult and sad day for Israel and for him personally.