The testimony of Hadas Klein, a former assistant to Arnon Milchen, continues today (Wednesday) in the Jerusalem District Court. Yesterday was Klein's first testimony day and it is estimated that the investigation will end this week and then the cross-examination will begin.
At the beginning of the testimony, Judge Moshe Bar-Am referred to a package of champagne that cost NIS 5,154 and asked: "Who consumed it?".
In response, Hadas replied: "Arnon had a personal need, but most of the bottles were transferred to the Netanyahu couple."
Benjamin Netanyahu in the District Court (Archive), Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Recall that in the case of 1000 former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he is charged with offenses of fraud and breach of trust.
In her testimony yesterday, Klein described how the Netanyahu couple received gifts such as "pink champagne", cigars and even valuable jewelry, with a cumulative value of hundreds of thousands of shekels.
She even presented invoices and claimed that the atmosphere around the couple was that they should be provided with everything they wanted, otherwise they would come with complaints.
The gifts were given both by Milchen and by their mutual friend, Australian tycoon James Packer.
She herself began working with Milchen in 2008, but since she served as Packer's assistant during his stay in Israel, she was a believer in the ongoing delivery of gifts on his behalf for the two as well.
The gifts, she said, were given whenever the Netanyahu couple met Milchen or Packer, but even when they were not in the country, through Klein and at their request.
During her testimony, Klein described pressures exerted on her and Milchen to deliver the gifts.
Bibi said "that's what I want"
"The Netanyahu couple would come to Beit Yanai - Arnon's home in Israel, on weekends and sometimes in the middle of the week," Klein described in her testimony. "Sometimes Arnon and Amanda (Milchen's partner) would also travel to Balfour in Jerusalem."
About the relationship between Packer and Netanyahu, she said: "In July 2018, Arnon initiated a meal. James fell in love with Netanyahu. He admired him. He would send me articles about him from abroad.
He always told us not to save anything, because they are people who work very hard and all they ask for is to give to them.
I also saw him crying after the meetings with them. "
The prosecutor, Adv. Alon Gildin, from the State Attorney's Office for Taxation and Economics, asked Klein: "From what you were involved, are you generally exposed in the course of your work at Milchen and Packer to gifts or products given to the Netanyahu couple?" Klein replied: "Two cigars that I I purchased.
Jewelry for example and a ring I gave to Sarah in Caesarea.
There were also coats I bought and gave her. "
She said of the pressures exerted on them to get what the Netanyahu couple wanted: "On one occasion Netanyahu showed me a certain cigar and told me 'this is what I want.' "I had a terrible mess, you did not give me the right cigars, and Netanyahu is angry."
Sarah Netanyahu, Photo: Avshalom Shashoni
She also said that Netanyahu used to dip the cigar in Cointreau liqueur.
One Saturday evening she received a phone call from Arnon having to buy such a liqueur, and she was able to find a store open Friday night.
“We were very creative and we would find underground,” she said.
"Arnon would say to me, 'This is the Israeli prime minister, do you want us to have peace in the country? Without it, there will be no peace in the country.'
"At the Balfour meetings, what was the order of the presents?"
Asked.
"The champagne comes with Jonathan (Milchen's driver - YA), and Arnon prefers that he put it in front of him, and then Arnon comes in with the bag hanging over his shoulder and puts the cigars there and gives it to Bibi."
"Is it possible to come to the meeting without gifts?"
Tapping the plaintiff.
"Impossible. Why? I already gave a small example of a phone I snatched that I made a terrible mistake for not bringing him the right model. As part of Sarah's requests there were requests to replace a battery in the watch."
Arnon Milchen, Photo: FilmMagic
According to her, Sarah asked for bottles of champagne even when the investigation had already begun.
"Arnon and I were very scared and did not know how to proceed. Arnon wanted to pull the time and said 'on Sunday we will send four with Yonatan' - Yonatan refused to go to Jerusalem. He was afraid and he settled with the head of the household."
The quantities of gifts have increased
"One of the things Arnon taught James was that when you travel to Balfour in Jerusalem you can not come empty-handed. They always gave, it was always visible, it was not even a secret. It was a fact." When the house in Packer Caesarea was built, Boxes of champagne and cigars in the gym.
The Netanyahu couple knew where things were, they could just come and take them. "
Klein was asked if the Netanyahu couple knew who the gifts came from.
"It does not seem to me that it has changed them from whom the gifts will come," she replied.
Asked if Packer received gifts from the Netanyahu couple, she replied: "Packer never received gifts from Bibi and Sarah, it never happened."
The volume of gifts, according to Klein, has been growing.
"I felt the quantities went up and up. The fear faded, I felt it was freer. I did not do any calculations, except for one time Arnon asked for a cost check. When I was exposed to our binders and saw the quantities and invoices of the cigars The latter is dramatic "..
She added that "Arnon told me 'it's starting to get crazy these quantities, tell Sarah our accountant started asking questions'. I said Sarah would not buy this story."
On the reason for giving the testimony and the expected consequences that followed, Klein said: "I may one day lose my livelihood. 'Do not be confused - after the testimony you will be kicked out,' I was told. "Mrs. Netanyahu said that Jonathan and I may have built a conspiracy or stolen a credit card, I was very hurt."
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