Ex-AG Mandelblit Testifies on Police Contact with Journalist in Netanyahu Trial

Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit continued his testimony on Wednesday in the Jerusalem District Court as part of the criminal trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This marked the fourth day of Mandelblit's testimony, called by the defense.

During his testimony, Mandelblit addressed allegations that investigative actions were taken without his approval and discussed leaks intended to pressure the investigation. Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Haddad, presented evidence that the first approval Mandelblit gave for examining Case 1000 was on June 26, 2016, but police had already taken a detailed statement from journalist Ben Caspit in April of that year. Mandelblit stated that a police investigator should not use a journalist as an "extended arm" for investigations and that such proactive contact requires his approval. He confirmed he had requested to stop the contact with Caspit, expressing a "discomforting feeling" that Caspit was directing the police rather than being investigated.

Mandelblit also confirmed his suspicion of leaks from the prosecution or police, stating he suspected "mainly one person" but lacked proof. He believed these leaks aimed to pressure the investigation into the Prime Minister and that he tried to verify this in numerous discussions, wanting to be particularly cautious and monitor the case.

Regarding the investigation into Case 4000, Mandelblit testified that Netanyahu was not explicitly warned about bribery charges during the initial investigation, despite eventually being indicted for bribery along with fraud and breach of trust. The initial warning notice did not include the word "bribery." Mandelblit explained that the wording was intentionally ambiguous to allow for discretion between bribery and breach of trust, stating the phrasing was more suited to breach of trust but could lead to other conclusions. Lawyer Haddad emphasized that Netanyahu was never warned about bribery, a fact Mandelblit confirmed.

Prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh objected to defense claims that the indictment was filed to effect a change in government, asserting that the prosecution's considerations were objective and that the team comprised individuals from across Israeli society with extensive experience. Judge Moshe Bar-Am commented that he would not overlook a case where a prosecutor filed an indictment out of hatred for the Prime Minister, though Tirosh insisted the prosecution's motives were proper.