Judges in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial at the Jerusalem District Court indicated on Thursday that they are open to having Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara appear before them, and revealed that they had been weighing the idea themselves even before the defense raised it.
The issue came up after attorneys Amit Hadad, representing Netanyahu, and Jack Chen, representing former Bezeq controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch, asked the court to bring in Baharav-Miara in light of matters that emerged during the testimony of former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit. Chen proposed that she attend a closed-door discussion to address what he described as irregularities that had surfaced in the trial.
Judge Oded Shaham responded that the panel had already discussed the possibility. “It’s not certain a request is even needed. We thought we should do it ourselves,” he said.
The remarks did not constitute a ruling, and the court has not ordered Baharav-Miara to appear. The proposed meeting would not amount to calling her as a witness in the trial, since she did not oversee the investigation or file the indictment, both of which took place under Mandelblit. Prosecutors told the court they would consider the judges’ position and return with a response.
Mandelblit, who approved the investigations into Netanyahu and later the indictment, has testified for nine days as a defense witness. The defense argues that some investigative steps were taken before he formally authorized them, as Israeli law requires for a sitting prime minister.
The judges may also be seeking a direct answer from Baharav-Miara on the bribery charge in Case 4000. Three years ago, the panel suggested the prosecution reconsider the charge, and Baharav-Miara rejected the proposal. The judges raised it again before the summer recess and have received no response.
Likud MK Moshe Saada called the development “an unimaginable earthquake,” arguing that Baharav-Miara has no connection to the trial and that the judges are looking for a way to end it without a verdict.
