Special committee: Won’t rule on PM request for tycoon donations
Justice Minister Nissenkorn: No basis for PM attacks on A-G
By YONAH JEREMY BOBPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit (R)(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
A special comptroller committee closed the door on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for up to NIS 10 million of his legal fees in his public corruption trial to be funded by American tycoon and ally Spencer Partrich.Rather than rejecting the request, the committee declined to rule, but the result is that Netanyahu has no approval to receive the donations.The committee did give Netanyahu favorable treatment on a related issue, saying he need only return $30,000 out of the $300,000 in donations he received for his legal fight without having asked for approval.Explaining this part of the decision, the committee said that the other $270,000 had gone to Sara Netanyahu’s legal defense, which was permitted since she is a private citizen.Good government NGOs criticized this part of the decision and vowed to go to the High Court of Justice to get Netanyahu to return all of the funds.Earlier on Thursday, Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn told Army Radio that there was no basis for Netanyahu’s attacks on Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit.“The gatekeepers are able to act independently. There is no basis for Netanyahu’s claims against Mandelblit that he is trying to cancel the decision of the public,” said Nissenkorn.Netanyahu has been attacking Mandelblit ever since a February 28, 2019 announcement by the attorney-general of his intent to indict the prime minister.However, the animosity exploded again on Tuesday after Mandelblit told the comptroller committee it should not approve Netanyahu’s request for up to NIS 10 million of his legal fees in his public corruption trial to be funded by Partrich.Mandelblit said it was not permitted mostly because of the amount and the long-term political-businessman relations that Netanyahu and Partrich have, as opposed to just being close friends.
Apparently, Mandelblit’s view swayed the committee as evidenced by its decision on Thursday.In response, a source close to Netanyahu said: “The more the improper actions of the attorney-general are revealed on tape, the more he continues his scandalous persecution of the prime minister and the Right.”All along, Mandelblit has said that Netanyahu could receive donations without limit if he resigned and was not a current public servant, which would alleviate the conflict of interest.When former prime minister Ehud Olmert received donations for his legal defense, it was only after he had resigned.However, when an unnamed senior ministry official repeated to Channel 13 that Netanyahu could receive limitless donations if he resigned, the prime minister hit back, alleging this was an improper attempt to topple him.In fact, Mandelblit’s recommendation to the High Court of Justice green lighting Netanyahu to remain prime minister despite the bribery indictment was key to the justices approving Netanyahu’s new government.Mandelblit was also critical about getting Netanyahu approval for an NIS 2 million loan from Partrich.In addition, the attorney-general’s position about a conflict regarding receiving donations, versus a loan, dovetails with the position of the comptroller committee up until summer 2019, when the committee’s membership was changed by new State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman.Since then, the new committee has flirted with approving Netanyahu to receive donations despite the previous committee having rejected Netanyahu three times.Mandelblit gave his opinion about the conflict at the request of the new committee.Some have backed Netanyahu’s right to receive donations, pointing out the unlimited resources that the police and the prosecution can use to prosecute him.Critics have responded that Netanyahu is estimated to have NIS 50 million or more in assets and that if he made full financial disclosures, he might be able to receive some donations, even if not NIS 10 million.
