Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had just been indicted, what's next?
By YONAH JEREMY BOBHeads of the Blue and White party, Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid. Avigdor Liberman, Head of rightist Yisrael Beiteinu party. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting, December 2, 2018(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)30 days or less: Over the next 30 days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must waive his immunity as an MK so that the indictment can go forward, or he can try to block the indictment from going forward by using his immunity. All top officials in recent decades, from Avigdor Liberman to Arye Deri to Haim Katz, have waived their immunity. It would be difficult for Netanyahu to fight this, but if he decided to fight it, the legal process could be drawn out a bit more.A few weeks to a couple of months, after the 30 days: Presuming Netanyahu waives his immunity, there will be a first hearing in the trial within a period of weeks or a couple of months to schedule witnesses, and to resolve any leftover disputes regarding documents sought by the defense, which the prosecution might say it has a right to withhold.High Court, in parallel: If Netanyahu, as expected, does not voluntarily step down as prime minister, opposition officials will file petitions to force his resignation next week or once his immunity is removed. There is no precedent for how long the High Court may take to hear these petitions. On one hand, the mega-importance could lead to a decision within a period of weeks. However, it is more likely that the High Court will drag out the process for at least a few months or even far longer, hoping that political pressures will eventually move Netanyahu out of office without a need for them to rule.Six to 12 months (mid or late 2020): The heart of the trial will start with witnesses. The reason there is such uncertainty about when this will start is because Netanyahu is a sitting prime minister, and may use emergencies to delay any hearings. He has previously gained delays by making changes to his legal team and other maneuverings, something he could try again.Verdict (mid 2021 – mid 2023): The court will issue a verdict one to three years from the time that witnesses are called. The uncertainty in time depends on whether Netanyahu tries to resolve the trial as fast as possible, hoping to lift the cloud from above his head, or whether he tries to draw it out as long as possible to delay his conviction to stay in office. Case 4000 has a huge amount of evidence that the defense could spend extensive time analyzing and critiquing.Sentencing (start of 2022 – late 2024): Six to 15 months from the verdict. Former prime minister Ehud Olmert was convicted in March 2014 and sentenced in May 2015. Typical cases usually involve only weeks or a few months between verdict and sentencing, but just as Olmert dragged out the process, Netanyahu would also likely try to delay jail.Jail (mid 2022 – mid 2025): Three to nine months from the sentencing. Olmert was sentenced in May 2015, but used an appeal to the Supreme Court to delay entering prison until February 2016. Netanyahu can be expected to try the same tactics both to get an acquittal, reduce his sentence and to delay.
