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Ex-Attorney General Mandelblit Testifies in Corruption Cases
Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit arrived at the Jerusalem District Court to testify as a defense witness in the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The rare appearance of a former head of the prosecution testifying for the defense in a case he handled highlights the ongoing judicial process.
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What happened
- 01Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit arrived at the Jerusalem District Court to testify for the defense in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial.
- 02The defense argues that investigative actions began before Mandelblit gave the legally required approval, seeking to dismiss the indictment.
- 03Mandelblit contends he verbally authorized the investigations, while the defense insists that written approval was a legal requirement.
- 04The prosecution maintains that all necessary approvals for the investigations were fully documented and provided to the defense.
- 05The defense may claim Mandelblit faced pressure from then-State Attorney Shai Nitzan regarding the Harpaz affair.
- 06The court denied a request by Mandelblit to postpone his testimony due to his other commitments.
Netanyahu's defense team, led by attorney Amit Haddad, is attempting to prove that investigative actions in Cases 1000 and 2000 began before Mandelblit provided the legally required approval. While there is no dispute that written approval was not given, Mandelblit contends he verbally authorized the probes, citing a memo. The prosecution maintains that all necessary approvals were documented and provided to the defense.
The defense aims to use Mandelblit's testimony to argue that the investigation was illegal, seeking to dismiss the indictment, which was filed in January 2020. The defense may also claim that Mandelblit faced pressure from then-State Attorney Shai Nitzan regarding the Harpaz affair. The court denied Mandelblit's request to postpone his testimony due to other commitments.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: Ynetnews. Read Ynetnews’s originalThe coverage
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