Netanyahu Pre-Indictment Hearing Delayed Until After Elections
Image by Getty Image
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Prosecutors in the corruption cases against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be able to get their hands on the investigation files until after the country’s election over fears of leaks to the media.
The Justice Ministry made the announcement on Monday evening, responding to a request from Netanyahu’s attorneys.
The prosecutors and the attorneys for the prime minister will be given three months to review the materials before a pre-indictment hearing in which Netanyahu can present his argument for dropping the case.
This means that the hearing will be held on or shortly after July 10.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced late last month that pending the hearing he plans to indict Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases — the first time a sitting prime minister will face criminal charges.
Netanyahu has denied all the charges and called the investigations a “witch hunt” by the political left and the media.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
