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Ex-AG Mandelblit Admits Secret Wiretaps in Netanyahu Trial, Sparks Outcry
During the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Jerusalem District Court on Sunday, former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit testified for the sixth time, focusing on police investigation methods. Netanyahu's defense lawyer, Amit Haddad, accused the police and prosecution of conducting illegal wiretaps on Natan Eshel, a close associate of the Prime Minister, in March 2017 without Mandelblit's prior approval.
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What happened
- 01Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit testified on Sunday that police conducted unauthorized wiretaps on Netanyahu's associate Natan Eshel in March 2017.
- 02Mandelblit stated he was angered by the unprecedented wiretaps and demanded they cease immediately upon discovering them.
- 03Defense lawyer Amit Haddad accused the police and prosecution of deliberately concealing evidence of the unauthorized wiretaps from the defense.
- 04Haddad announced plans to present email correspondence proving the wiretaps were halted due to a lack of proper authorization.
- 05Mandelblit testified he did not recall if he ordered an investigation into how the unauthorized surveillance was initiated behind his back.
- 06Prosecutor Alon Gildin objected to the defense's line of questioning, citing Mandelblit's lack of awareness of the wiretaps at the time.
- 07The defense argues that the unauthorized wiretaps and alleged concealment constitute significant flaws that could impact the admissibility of evidence.
Mandelblit confirmed that the wiretaps occurred without his knowledge or consent, stating that the situation was unprecedented and that he was angered upon discovering them. He testified that he immediately demanded the surveillance cease, though he did not recall if he ordered an investigation into how the unauthorized wiretaps were conducted.
Haddad accused law enforcement of deliberately concealing crucial information about these investigative actions from the defense team on multiple occasions. He announced plans to present email correspondence to prove the wiretaps were halted specifically due to the lack of authorization, aiming to challenge the admissibility of the evidence.
Prosecutor Alon Gildin objected to further inquiry into the wiretaps, arguing that Mandelblit was unaware of them when they occurred. The court has yet to rule on the defense's allegations of unlawful investigative actions and evidence concealment.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated
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Who covered it
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Not in the Centre or Arab press
