Mandelblit testifies police retained standing authority in Netanyahu trial

Former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit appeared before the Jerusalem District Court on Monday to continue his defense testimony in the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mandelblit authorized the initial investigations and later signed the indictment. His current role is to clarify the scope of power granted to police during the probe. The defense argues that investigators exceeded those boundaries in specific instances.

Amit Hadad, Netanyahu's lawyer, focused on the preliminary examination that evolved into Case 1000. This case involves allegations that Netanyahu received valuable gifts from businessmen Arnon Milchan and James Packer and took actions to benefit Milchan. Hadad asked whether questioning Milchan's assistant, Hadas Klein, and Packer's driver, Yonatan Hasson, required fresh approval from Mandelblit.

Mandelblit responded that the questioning fell within his broader permission to examine suspicions of substantial benefits from businessmen. He stated that this authorization remained in force without the need for investigators to seek consent for each individual action.

Judge Moshe Bar-Am inquired how police could distinguish between steps covered by the initial approval and those requiring additional consent. Mandelblit explained that the subject matter defined the boundaries, while significant developments necessitated further consultation.

On Sunday, Mandelblit addressed the wiretapping of Natan Eshel, a close confidant of Netanyahu. He said he ordered police to stop the operation once he learned of it. Although investigators held a court warrant, Mandelblit noted that the sensitivity of Eshel's role meant they should have sought his approval first.

The trial, which began in May 2020, covers three cases involving alleged gifts and dealings with media owners. Netanyahu faces charges of fraud and breach of trust in all three cases. In Case 4000, he also faces a bribery charge related to alleged regulatory benefits for Bezeq in exchange for intervention in Walla news coverage. Netanyahu denies all wrongdoing.