Legal Expert: Prosecution Should Drop Bribery Charge Against Netanyahu

Legal commentator Dr. Matan Gutman stated on Thursday that the prosecution should have withdrawn the bribery charge against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, particularly following Netanyahu's testimony. Gutman, speaking on Radio Galey Israel, argued that given the judges' indications that the prosecution failed to prove the alleged corrupt deal, they should have conceded the bribery charge. "I think they should have dropped the bribery charge. I think it was a mistake, especially after Netanyahu's testimony when the judges reiterated their position. The prosecution should have said, 'We are dropping the bribery charge,'" Gutman said.

The discussion, which included interviewer Itamar Fleishman and attorney Guy Busi, raised questions about accountability for alleged misconduct by law enforcement. Fleishman questioned why no one from the law enforcement system faces punishment for serious actions, asking why "honest people like you" cannot acknowledge wrongdoing. Gutman distinguished between the conduct of investigators and the legal determination of guilt, acknowledging the judges' concerns about police actions but emphasizing that criminal trials hinge on evidence for the charges.

Attorney Guy Busi intensified the criticism, comparing the situation to the Dreyfus affair and accusing former senior judicial figures and the Bar Association of silence. Busi invoked Emile Zola's "J'Accuse" to highlight the public shame of silence, directly addressing former Supreme Court presidents Aharon Barak and Esther Hayut, as well as the Bar Association, for not speaking out against the alleged trampling of the defendant's rights. He characterized the silence as a "mark of Cain."