Judge Questions Scope of Netanyahu Investigation Approval

During his sixth day of testimony in the Netanyahu trial, former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit faced scrutiny from Judge Moshe Bar-Am regarding the scope of his approval for investigations into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Judge Bar-Am questioned whether the authorization to investigate the receipt of gifts, specifically cigars and champagne, was "too sweeping."

Mandelblit responded that there was a general permit for the matter, which had not been revoked. He explained that while he personally might not have initiated a criminal investigation solely based on cigars and champagne, he had authorized investigations into the receipt of significant gifts from businessmen. Mandelblit stated that the testimony of witness Hadas Klein transformed the examination into a reasonable suspicion justifying an investigation.

The discussion also touched upon wiretaps of Natan Eshel, an aide to Netanyahu, which Mandelblit had not approved for the police. Mandelblit had previously expressed displeasure with these wiretaps, which were canceled after he discovered them. He clarified that while a general permit was in place for investigating significant benefits, specific actions like wiretapping Eshel would have required a separate, explicit request and approval, which was not sought.

Attorney Amit Haddad pressed Mandelblit, suggesting he was contradicting himself. Judge Bar-Am further probed how investigators would understand the general permit, questioning if more concrete approvals were needed to prevent accidental overreach. Mandelblit maintained that status meetings were intended for such clarifications and that investigators understood the need to present significant findings for explicit approval.