PM Netanyahu accuses Attorney General’s Office of bias during court session, ‘They have no shame.’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in the Tel Aviv District Court on Wednesday morning, for his 17th day of testimony in Case 4000. During the hearing, he once again attacked the Attorney General’s Office, accusing them of not reflecting reality.
At one point in the hearing, Netanyahu responded angrily to a comment of one of the judges, regarding the repetition of the allegations against him. “For ten years I’ve been dragged through a bribery case. People are standing on the sides of the roads and shouting ‘Bribery, fraud and breach of trust,’ he said. A total of 315 section are falling apart one after the other.
An entire country has put me and my family through hell and I have come to break it down and show that this is absurd. I have the right to defend myself,” Netanyahu shouted, banging on the table. Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman turned to Netanyahu: “It is possible to move forward. Mr. Netanyahu, lower your voice.”
The Prime Minister responded: “I’m usually restrained, but this cannot happen. They have made our lives miserable. I am fulfilling my duty as prime minister even at this time. I’m coming here twice a week. The investigators and prosecution haven’t questioned me about it – that means that there are many questionable issues in this indictment. Everything is based on a lie; there is malicious negligence on the part of the police and the Attorney General’s Office.”
Prior to that, Netanyahu’s lawyer, Attorney Amit Hadad, presented an investigative item relating to a request to publish an article about Netanyahu’s visit to his brother Yoni Netanyahu’s grave, on the eve of Memorial Day.
“How involved were you?” asked Hadad. Netanyahu responded: “I was not involved. This was not a demand. It was on the verge of begging.” He said, “Every year I visit my brother’s grave on the eve of Memorial Day, due to security constraints. This is a personal visit.”
Attorney Haddad presented the publication on the Walla site and asked: “Is there anything unusual here?” Netanyahu responded: “No.” When asked if there is a difference between the coverage on Walla and other websites, he added: “Is it bribery? There is no difference. It was sent to all media outlets as a press release. There’s nothing unusual here other than the lack of shame in bringing it up in the indictment.” Netanyahu went on to say: “Your Honor, after ten years, I am allowed to say this – how did they put this in the indictment? The indictment is working in a different direction here, not on me.”
During the hearing, Haddad presented a series of articles published on the Walla website, and asked Netanyahu whether he was aware of the connections between the site’s publications and Bezeq’s affairs. Netanyahu responded: “I had no idea. It interests me if they say something good about me, so I should approach them in regulations? I had no idea.”
Later, Netanyahu commented on another article published on the website, which claimed that he held a bank account in a foreign country. “There was no tax haven,” he claimed. “I also didn’t ask them to take down the article and they didn’t report it to me.” When asked whether such articles influenced him to make regulatory decisions, he replied: “No, they have no idea what’s going on.”
Netanyahu also referred to a report on the Walla website about the participation of Yair Lapid’s son in a cabinet meeting. “The elder Lapid is a political rival,” he said. “It’s very unusual. It is unusual to accept this, and Walla did a PR story and did not address this unusual situation. That says it all.” When asked what would have happened if it had been his son, he replied: “If it had been me, there would have been a great brouhaha here.”During the hearing, Haddad presented a series of articles published on the Walla website, and asked Netanyahu whether he was aware of the connections between the site’s publications and Bezeq’s affairs. Netanyahu responded: “I had no idea. It interests me if they say something good about me, so I should approach them in regulations? I had no idea.”
Later, Netanyahu commented on another article published on the website, which claimed that he held a bank account in a foreign country. “There was no tax haven,” he claimed. “I also didn’t ask them to take down the article and they didn’t report it to me.” When asked whether such articles influenced him to make regulatory decisions, he replied: “No, they have no idea what’s going on.”
Netanyahu also referred to a report on the Walla website about the participation of Yair Lapid’s son in a cabinet meeting. “The elder Lapid is a political rival,” he said. “It’s very unusual. It is unusual to accept this, and Walla did a PR story and did not address this unusual situation. That says it all.” When asked what would have happened if it had been his son, he replied: “If it had been me, there would have been a great brouhaha here.”
