Jerusalem, 20 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit testified Tuesday in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial that he could not recall whether he explicitly authorized investigating Netanyahu for bribery in Case 4000. He said he remembered approving an investigation under caution but was unsure whether bribery was specified from the outset. “I remember saying ‘integrity offenses’ regarding Cases 1000 and 2000,” Mandelblit testified.
Israeli police cannot investigate a suspect for specific offenses without authorization from the attorney general.
Netanyahu’s lawyer, Amit Hadad, questioned Mandelblit about whether he knew Netanyahu had requested a copy of the warning outlining the suspicions against him. Mandelblit said he was unaware of the request and had not ordered the document’s release.
Hadad argued that Mandelblit’s signed authorization referred to “integrity offenses” for Netanyahu, while explicitly listing bribery and obstruction of justice for businessman Shaul Elovitch. Mandelblit said he could not recall the details precisely.
