The permit committee announced that it has decided to re-finance Netanyahu's legal expenses • "Expressed by the filing of three indictments and a list of hundreds of witnesses"

• PM Benjamin Netanyahu // Photo: Tomer Neuberg

The permit committee announced Tuesday its decision to hold a renewed hearing on a request by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finance his legal expenses.

Members of the committee, headed by retired judge Nechama Munitz and members of retired judge Shulamit Dotan and public representative Mr. Israel Case, reasoned their decision that "after examining the arguments of the prime minister, the committee believes that they can indicate a significant change in the circumstances that existed at the time. Providing past decisions and current circumstances ”.

"The committee believes that the significant change in circumstances is reflected in the fact that three indictments have been filed, to which is attached a list of witnesses that number hundreds of witnesses as well as over a thousand binders of investigative material," the statement said.

They also added that "the committee gives great weight to the fact that at this time the costs can not be accurately estimated but to the rate as very many costs, according to representatives of the PMA is estimated at about NIS 10 million, at least."

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"It should be noted that the current request is for funding exclusively from Mr. Spencer, who has already signed a conflict of interest agreement approved by the USSR to the government, and has given the prime minister a $ 2 million loan. It should also be noted that the committee is an administrative committee and its decisions are subject to the discussion regime in administrative decisions whereby a fundamental rule according to which administrative decisions, unlike judicial decisions, do not apply to the principle of final hearing. In other words, they do not constitute a court act and can in fact be changed where there is justification for a change of circumstances. "

Recall last year, on June 24, 2019, the permit committee decided to reject the PM's request to allow him to receive his legal expenses as a donation from his cousin, Nathan Milikowski, and his close friend Spencer Partridge. At the time, the prime minister responded to the committee's decision to reject the request for funding of his expenses, saying that the move "impairs public confidence in the system."

About two months later, State Comptroller Mattiahu Engelman announced a change in the composition of the committee - after members announced to him the resignation. Engelman said, "We have today taken the first step in implementing a reform that promotes constructive and qualitative review. Empowering the committee's permit permit will allow the integration of experts from different fields, along with broadening the range of opinions and opening the committee to different groups in the company. "The outgoing committee has completed its full two-year term, and I would like to thank the members of the committee for their contribution to the proper administration in Israel."