Israel's attorney-general to decide on PM indictments

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit will decide whether to indict Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for graft before Knesset elections slated for April 9, Mandelblit announced Friday.

In a statement, Mandelblit said his team of prosecutors was currently working on the three corruption cases involving Netanyahu and was “nearing a decision” regarding indictments.

According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu’s attorneys met Mandelblit last week and asked him not to publicly say whether or not he planned to hand down indictments before the April 9 polls.

Netanyahu’s attorneys maintain that doing so would amount to “interference” in the election.

Mandelblit, however, dismissed the request, saying that postponing the announcement would itself constitute “direct interference” in the upcoming polls.

Netanyahu is currently under investigation in three separate corruption cases, in which he has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

The first case involves Israeli Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan, who was allegedly asked to purchase luxury items for Netanyahu and his wife.

The second relates to an alleged deal for favorable media coverage with Arnon Mozes, publisher of prominent Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

In a third case, Netanyahu is accused of awarding favors to Israel’s Bezeq Telecom Company in return for favorable coverage on the company’s news website.