Ex-AG Mandelblit Denies Decisions in Netanyahu Cases Were Pressured
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit testified in court, denying that decisions in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cases were made under pressure. Netanyahu's attorney, Amit Haddad, accused investigators of conducting operations without Mandelblit's full knowledge and of creating media pressure. Mandelblit acknowledged media pressure and a feeling of potential leaks but stated he would be surprised if information was deliberately hidden from him. The defense attorney presented evidence suggesting investigators acted without proper authorization and concealed information, claims Mandelblit did not fully confirm.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Former AG Avichai Mandelblit denied making decisions in Netanyahu's cases under pressure.
- Netanyahu's attorney Amit Haddad accused investigators of acting behind Mandelblit's back.
- Haddad presented evidence suggesting investigative actions preceded required authorizations.
- Mandelblit acknowledged media pressure to investigate Netanyahu but denied deliberate concealment.
- The defense alleged leaks from prosecutor Liat Ben-Ari to journalist Gidi Weitz.
- Mandelblit stated he would be surprised if information was intentionally hidden from him.
During the second day of testimony in the Jerusalem District Court, former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit faced intense questioning from Amit Haddad, attorney for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Haddad accused investigators of conducting operations behind Mandelblit's back in the Bezeq affair, which led to Case 4000, before proper authorization was obtained. He presented documents and search warrants related to state's witness Shlomo Filber's interrogation, suggesting investigators pursued suspicions against Netanyahu without Mandelblit's real-time knowledge.
Haddad focused on the timeline, presenting a memo from October 2nd and suggesting investigative actions were taken "behind your back" to build Case 4000 even before that date. Mandelblit responded that it seemed unlikely, based on the memo, that authorization for Case 4000 was granted in June 2017. The defense attorney also referenced an October 2015 Haaretz article by Gidi Weitz about Netanyahu's ties to Bezeq owner Shaul Elovitch, which Mandelblit acknowledged as a catalyst for the investigation, though he didn't recall reading it at the time.
Haddad further alleged that prosecutor Liat Ben-Ari was a source for leaks to journalist Gidi Weitz, which he claimed created media pressure to launch an investigation into the Prime Minister. Mandelblit acknowledged that there was media pressure and that he had a "feeling" of potential leaks, even considering replacing the prosecution team. However, he did not confirm any direct link between Ben-Ari and Weitz or that information was intentionally hidden from him.
Mandelblit stated he would be "very surprised" if it turned out information was deliberately concealed from him, emphasizing that the prosecution accompanied the cases. He also addressed search warrants for Iris Elovitch's home and phone in June 2017, which Haddad claimed were related to demands from the Netanyahu family for coverage. Mandelblit stated he was not involved in those specific warrants at that stage.
Regarding the interrogation of state's witness Shlomo Filber, Haddad presented excerpts suggesting investigators discussed recruiting a state's witness against the Prime Minister before the alleged required authorization for Netanyahu's investigation. Mandelblit agreed that such an action would be serious but did not confirm it occurred without his approval. He also acknowledged that instructions for investigators to avoid direct questions about Netanyahu and to ask Filber only open-ended questions were not known to him and were problematic.
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