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Israel’s Attorney General has indicted PM Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges after months of uncertainty over whether Netanyahu would be able to retain his leadership of the country. He is charged with bribery and fraud.
Netanyahu faces charges of breach of trust and fraud stemming from three cases in which he allegedly made illicit deals – either with supporters or with local businesses – in exchange for gifts or cash.
AG Avichai Mandelblit announced the indictment, which has been hanging over Netanyahu for months, in a statement on Thursday.The PM strenuously denies the charges, and, as media note, is not obligated to resign because of them. However, his trouble forming a coalition government is likely to become more severe.
The most severe case involves charges of altering telecom regulations in favor of telecom company Bezeq, whose owner, Shaul Elovitch, also ran news site Walla News. Flush with a $500 million windfall, Elovitch would allegedly press his editors to make coverage more favorable to the Netanyahus. That case involves a bribery charge on top of breach of trust and fraud, and Elovitch and his wife are also facing bribery charges.
