TEHRAN, Dec 3_Israel’s attorney general has officially submitted his indictment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Knesset (parliament), laying out a sweeping case in which an estimated 333 witnesses, including wealthy friends and former aides, could be called to testify.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club(YJC)_Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit sent the indictment to the Knesset on Monday, setting the clock ticking on a 30-day period during which Netanyahu can seek parliamentary immunity from prosecution as a Knesset member.
Mandelblit said that Netanyahu’s trial will be held at the Jerusalem al-Quds District Court and that a date — not yet made public — has been set for the proceedings.
The prime minister was charged with bribery, fraud and breach in three corruption cases, dubbed Cases 4000, 2000 and 1000.
In a decision that could delay the formal indictment of the premier by several months, the Knesset’s top legal advisor ruled that the currently dormant Knesset House Committee must decide whether to grant Netanyahu parliamentary immunity from prosecution.
The House Committee has been nonfunctional due to ongoing political disarray after inconclusive elections in April and September and the failure of Netanyahu and his main challenger, Benny Gantz, to secure a ruling majority in the legislature.
In a Twitter post, Netanyahu dismissed the large list of witnesses.
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