Video: Justices and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive at a hearing where Arnon Milchan will testify in Case 1000, Jerusalem District Court, June 25, 2023 (Roni Knafo)
In parallel with Arnon Milchan's testimony in Brighton, the prosecution appealed to the Jerusalem District Court to expedite the hearing of evidence in the thousands of cases in order to complete the evidentiary stage. In the application, the State Attorney's Office asks that hearings be held during the recess in the courts so that the hearing of the current group of witnesses ends. In addition, the State Attorney's Office wants to add hearing days next year and extend the days of hearings.
In the letter sent by the State Prosecutor's Office, there was also a reference to reports about the judges' statements to the prosecution and defense teams in the cases, where they said that it would be difficult to prove the bribery charge in Case 4000. "The discourse that took place in the judges' chambers at the request of the panel was leaked to the media in a tendentious and inaccurate manner and in a manner that could harm the proper conduct of the trial," the prosecutor's letter said. "Therefore, it is requested that from now on, any dialogue between the court and the parties take place only in the courtroom while a protocol is conducted."
Prosecutor Liat Ben Ari (Photo: Flash 90, Yonatan Singer)
Even after the judges' statement was published, Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara and the State Prosecutor's Office announced that they continue to believe that they will succeed in getting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convicted in the case, and that they will continue to manage it.
In response, lawyers Jacques Chen, Shaul Elovitch's lawyer, and Boaz Ben-Tzur, Netanyahu's lawyer, said yesterday that the attorney general's opinion was "reckless and unfounded."
According to Netanyahu's lawyers, the judges of the panel of Netanyahu's case asked the State Prosecutor's Office to consider withdrawing the bribery charge. But the attorney general decided that they would continue to conduct it on the grounds that "the court has not yet been exposed to the full picture," which will be revealed at the defense stage.
"This is a baseless position," attorneys Boaz Ben-Tzur and Jacques Chen said. "Everyone knows that the place to prove the allegations that appear in the indictment is in the prosecution case. The argument that we should wait for the defense case shows the weakness of the prosecution's evidence," they explained.
More in Walla!
Good news for migraine sufferers: the diagnosis that makes it possible to return to normal life
In collaboration with the Iris Gayer Center for treatment through diagnosis of the eyeball
Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara (Photo: Shlomi Gabay)
Milchan spoke on the first day of his testimony today about his close relationship with the prime minister, whom he described as "almost a brother," as well as Netanyahu's request that he fire his right-hand man, Hadas Klein, for fear that she "knows too much." Later, he spoke about the many gifts he gave the Netanyahus, first on his own initiative and later at their request, as well as the precise requests and the difference between the gifts to Netanyahu and gifts to others. Milchan also claimed that Netanyahu told him that he had checked with the attorney general, who he said approved receiving gifts from friends.
- news
- News in Israel
- Criminal & Legal News
Tags
- Netanyahu's trial
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- State Attorney's Office