Ex-AG Mandelblit Admits Suspecting a Prosecutor Leaked Case 4000 Information
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit testified in the Netanyahu trial, admitting he suspected a specific prosecutor of leaking information related to Case 4000. He denied that the entire prosecution was involved in leaks and stated his decisions were based on professional judgment, not external pressure. Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Haddad, used Mandelblit's admissions to bolster the defense's claim of a compromised investigation tainted by leaks and undue influence.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Former AG Avichai Mandelblit admitted suspecting a specific prosecutor of leaking Case 4000 information.
- Mandelblit denied that the entire prosecution was involved in leaks during the Netanyahu trial.
- Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Haddad, confronted Mandelblit with claims of "deluge of leaks" in 2017.
- Mandelblit stated his decisions regarding the investigation were based solely on professional judgment.
- The defense argued Mandelblit's admissions support their claim of a compromised investigation.
Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit testified on Monday during the main hearing in the trial of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, admitting he suspected a specific prosecutor might have been involved in leaks related to Case 4000. Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Haddad, confronted Mandelblit with claims of a "deluge of leaks" that accompanied the investigations in 2017. Mandelblit denied accusing the entire prosecution of leaking but confirmed he had suspicions about an individual prosecutor. This exchange reportedly elicited laughter in the courtroom.
Haddad pressed Mandelblit on the leaks, asking if he recalled the "deluge" and if he had ever stated the prosecution was leaking. Mandelblit responded that while he remembered claims of leaks, he did not say the prosecution as a whole was responsible, but rather that "there is a specific prosecutor who I thought could be leaking."
Mandelblit clarified that this suspicion about a specific prosecutor should not be linked to his decisions regarding who handled the investigations, emphasizing that he never attributed the leaks to the entire prosecution and that claims of him replacing personnel due to leaks were incorrect. He also addressed allegations of media and public pressure to expand the investigation against Netanyahu, stating that while law enforcement officials did approach him with opinions about expanding the probe, his decisions were based solely on professional judgment and not undue pressure.
During the testimony, Haddad also questioned the use of digital evidence gathered for one investigation in another without a warrant expansion, specifically regarding Prime Minister's residence logs and communications related to the Walla! news site. Mandelblit acknowledged that seeking a warrant expansion would have been the proper procedure for such complex legal issues. The defense argued that these actions, along with the leaks and alleged pressure, indicate a compromised investigative process at the outset of Case 4000.
Mentioned
