Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu indicted on corruption charges

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu indicted on corruption charges

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been charged with bribery, breach of trust and fraud, according to a statement from the country’s attorney general, Euronews reports.

Avichai Mandelblit announced the indictment in a statement on Thursday, following several recommendations from Isareli police to take action.

The three long-running investigations, which have been dubbed Cases 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000, accuse Israel’s longest-serving premier of accepting hundreds of thousands of euros worth of gifts in exchange for favours, and for negotiating better coverage in the national media.

He is facing up to ten years in prison for the bribery charge and three years for fraud and breach of trust, should he be convicted.

In one of the cases, Netanyahu is said to have accepted gifts totalling $264,000 (€238,000) in exchange for changes to tax exemption legislation.

Such gifts include cigars and champagne, prosecutors have said.

The final two cases involve negotiations with the Israeli media to print more positive stories about Netanyahu and his family.

In the first, recorded conversations are said to prove the 70-year-old tried to negotiate less critical reporting on him in Yedioth Ahronoth, a national daily newspaper.

He is said to have offered to halt the publication of its competition, a pro-Netanyahu outlet called Israel Today.

The second case accuses Netanyahu of years-long interference with the coverage published on the Walla website in order for it to lean more favourably toward him and his family.

Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing in all the cases and is under no legal obligation to resign.

He is due to make a statement on the charges later this evening.

Thursday’s indictment comes as the latest blow to Netanyahu and his Likud party amid an unsettled political landscape in Israel.

The right-wing leader and his main opposition have both been unable to form a government following two elections this year.

Should this stalemate continue, a third election will be called in the next few weeks which could unsettle the 70-year-old’s reign held since 2009.