Israel's Attorney General has charged Benjamin Netanyahu with bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He is thus the first Prime Minister, who must answer during his term in court.
There are a total of three cases and allegations of fraud and infidelity and corruption. Netanyahu has always rejected allegations in the past. He spoke of a "witch hunt" against himself and his family and announced that he would refute all charges. A resignation in the case of an indictment he has already excluded.
From a legal point of view, according to the Israeli Institute for Democracy, Netanyahu would not have to resign as head of government in this case. Should he be convicted of corruption, according to law professor Gad Barzilai of the University of Haifa, he faces up to ten years imprisonment. In the case of a conviction for infidelity, the maximum sentence would be three years in prison.
Basically, the allegations against Netanyahu are suspected of influencing the media and expensive gifts of friendly billionaires. In the most sensitive of the three cases, according to the Attorney General, Netanyahu is said to have granted Benze legal benefits as Minister of Communications. In return, a medium belonging to the group should have reported positively about him. Netanyahu gave the ministerial office in 2017.
The possible charges fall at a time of political crisis in Israel. On Thursday, a deadline began to prevent Israel from having to vote for the third time in a year. After the September election, both Netanyahu and his challenger Benny Gantz had failed by the opposition center-blue-white coalition in forming a government.
