Mandelblit questioned over limits of police inquiry in Netanyahu trial

Former attorney-general Avichai Mandelblit told the Jerusalem District Court on Monday that he did not believe he had approved a broad investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s relationship with Israel Hayom. Testifying as a defense witness, he faced questions about whether police inquiries into the newspaper went beyond the investigation he had authorized in Case 2000.

The case concerns discussions between Netanyahu and Yediot Aharonot publisher Arnon Mozes about favorable coverage of Netanyahu in return for measures to restrict rival newspaper Israel Hayom. Netanyahu denies wrongdoing and is charged with fraud and breach of trust in the case. Mandelblit said his authorization concerned recorded conversations between Netanyahu and Mozes, rather than Netanyahu’s broader relationships with journalists and publishers.

Netanyahu’s lawyer, Amit Hadad, asked whether Mandelblit had ever permitted an examination or investigation of Netanyahu’s connections to Israel Hayom. Mandelblit said he did not think so, but cautioned that recalling discussions from years earlier was difficult. He described the recordings as central to his understanding of the inquiry and recalled being troubled by his assessment that Netanyahu did not intend to implement the arrangement being discussed.

Hadad presented police questioning of former Israel Hayom editor-in-chief Amos Regev about Netanyahu’s involvement in newspaper matters. In the account presented by Hadad, Regev described Netanyahu speaking harshly about a reporter and objecting to his participation in a flight. Mandelblit said he had not authorized that investigative direction to the best of his knowledge. He also did not recall approving questions about editorial decisions or the owners’ involvement in coverage.

The defense has challenged both the records of Mandelblit’s approvals and whether investigators respected their boundaries. Basic Law: The Government requires the attorney-general’s consent before a criminal investigation into a serving prime minister can begin. Mandelblit’s answers addressed his recollection and authorizations, rather than establishing that police questioning was unlawful. He previously testified that major investigative steps should have been brought to him, while saying he was neither expected nor required to approve every police action.

Hadad also cited questions put to Shlomo Filber, a former Netanyahu aide who later became a state witness in Case 4000. Those questions concerned a declaration denying, to Filber’s knowledge and belief, that Netanyahu controlled Israel Hayom or had an organizational connection to it. Hadad argued that investigating whether the declaration was false exceeded Cases 1000 and 2000. Mandelblit said he had not approved that line of inquiry.

Another exchange concerned the amended indictment. Hadad argued that Mandelblit’s signature had been copied from the original and questioned how carefully he reviewed the changes. Mandelblit maintained that he approved the revised document and remembered reading its expanded description of alleged benefits in Case 4000. He rejected the suggestion that allowing someone to place his signature on it meant approval was absent.

A 2-1 court ruling last Wednesday limited Mandelblit’s testimony to investigation approvals. Judge Moshe Bar-Am voiced concern that the restriction could leave relevant issues unexamined, but the majority upheld it. The defense may pursue broader allegations of police and prosecutorial misconduct through other witnesses and evidence.

The trial, which opened in May 2020, remains at the defense stage. Netanyahu also faces fraud and breach-of-trust charges in Case 1000 over gifts and alleged actions benefiting Arnon Milchan, and bribery, fraud and breach-of-trust charges in Case 4000 involving alleged regulatory benefits for Bezeq in exchange for intervention in Walla coverage. He denies wrongdoing in all three cases.

Monday’s hearing came almost a week after the October 27 election, with Netanyahu’s bloc lacking a parliamentary majority. Hadad expected to question Mandelblit through Tuesday, followed by Mozes’s lawyer, Sharon Kleinman, and then prosecution cross-examination.