Ex-AG Mandelblit Admits Approving Serious Investigations He Didn't Authorize

Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit testified Sunday in the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, admitting that serious investigative actions were taken without his explicit approval. Mandelblit stated that the wiretapping of Netanyahu confidant Natan Eshel angered him, and he ordered it stopped. He also described an investigative maneuver against state witness Nir Hefetz as "improper and incorrect," but explained he chose to investigate it through documents to avoid harming the legal proceedings.

Mandelblit was called by the defense, which seeks to clarify which investigative actions he approved, what information he received, and whether investigators exceeded his directives. He emphasized that while not every action required his approval, he requested oversight on key actions due to the sensitivity of investigations involving the Prime Minister. He described the police as "galloping horses" that try to exhaust suspicions, necessitating supervision from the prosecution and the Attorney General, especially in a Prime Minister's case.

Regarding the wiretapping of Eshel, Mandelblit testified, "This action infuriated me," and he demanded to know if Eshel was personally linked to the offenses under investigation. He ordered the wiretapping stopped unless such a link existed, stating that listening in on the Prime Minister's family was unacceptable. He also noted that while he did not recall specific uses of search warrants for unauthorized purposes or advanced surveillance technology like Pegasus, he had requested that future sensitive actions be brought to him in advance.

Concerning the Hefetz affair, Mandelblit acknowledged "improper things happened" but stopped short of calling them illegal. He explained that after learning about the Hefetz maneuver, he discussed whether to refer the matter to the Police Internal Investigations Department or conduct his own inquiry. Fearing that an investigation involving the involved parties could lead to witness collusion and prejudice the trial, he opted to examine the matter through documents, prioritizing the proper conduct of the trial over pursuing disciplinary action against the investigators.

Mandelblit also addressed the submarine affair, stating he did not authorize any investigation into Netanyahu regarding it, as he "did not identify any suspicion against the Prime Minister in this case." He clarified that if evidence warranting it had emerged later, an investigation would have been opened. The prosecution noted that the Attorney General's testimony was an "exception to exceptions," and they did not object due to the unique circumstances surrounding approvals for opening investigations.