Netanyahu faces indictment on charges of bribery, fraud, breach of trust

Israel’s attorney general announced Thursday he intended to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in a decision just weeks ahead of April elections.

The long-awaited announcement will further shake up the turbulent political campaign and threaten Netanyahu’s long tenure at the top of Israeli politics.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said in a statement that he intended to charge the premier pending a hearing, where Netanyahu would be given a chance to defend himself before charges are filed.

The announcement comes ahead of April 9 elections in which Netanyahu is facing a tough challenge from a centrist political alliance headed by a respected former military chief of staff, Benny Gantz.

Netanyahu, who rejects all accusations, was due to speak at 1800 GMT and his right-wing Likud party called the allegations “political persecution.”

“Unilateral publication of the attorney general’s announcement just a month before the elections, without giving the prime minister an opportunity to refute these false accusations, is a blatant and unprecedented intervention in the elections,” Likud said in a statement.

Netanyahu has been prime minister for a total of around 13 years and he would be on track to surpass founding father David Ben-Gurion as Israel’s longest-serving premier should he win in April.

He is not required to step down if indicted, only if convicted with all appeals exhausted.

He calls the investigations a bid by his political enemies to force him from office.

His right-wing Likud party earlier Thursday had joined a petition filed with the supreme court to stop Mandelblit from announcing his decision before the elections.

The supreme court on Thursday afternoon rejected the petition, paving the way for Mandelblit to proceed with his announcement.

The post Netanyahu faces indictment on charges of bribery, fraud, breach of trust appeared first on ARYNEWS.

Comments

Police arrest another suspect in Rimsha Wassan murder case

KHAIRPUR: Police on Tuesday arrested another suspect in Rimsha Wassan murder case during a raid in Khairpur, ARY News reported. Police said suspect Hidayatullah was arrested during the raid and weapons were recovered from his possession. They said the arrested suspect was a close aide of Zulfiqar Wassan, Sabir Wassan and Abdul Ghaffar. “The suspect will be produced before the Anti-Terrorism Court for remand,” said police. On March 19, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) had extended the remand of three suspects in Rimsha murder case for three more days for further investigations. Hearing the Rimsha murder case, the court, on the request of police, had decided to extend the physical remand of the suspects for three more days. Read More: ATC extends suspects’ remand in Rimsha murder case According to the details, police had produced the prime suspect, Zulfiqar Wassan alias Zulfoo , his associates nominated in the case, Ghaffar Wassan and Sabir Wassan before the court amid strict se...

Sajal Aly, Ahad Raza Mir are already sending out wedding invites

Pakistan’s hot favourite celebrity couple Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir are all set to tie the knot soon. The pair has already started sending out wedding invitations to friends and family as fans eagerly wait for one of the biggest celebrity weddings of the year. The actors invited British Deputy High Commissioner, Mike Nithavrianakis, to their big day, who took to Twitter to share that it was wonderful meeting them. Thank you! Hope to see you at the wedding @MikeNith1 https://t.co/YtOOYBJuhq — Sajal Ali (@Iamsajalali) February 28, 2020 “They’ve been ‘married’ on-screen several times. Now for the real deal. Best wishes to them both,” he wrote. The Mom actress thanked him and said “Hope to see you at the wedding.” Earlier, a photo of a cake which had ‘Ahad aur Sajal ki dholki’ written over it went viral. The lovebirds got engaged in July last year after dating for a while. The post Sajal Aly, Ahad Raza Mir are already sending out wedding invites appeared first on...

India’s coronavirus cases rise by a daily record of 55,078

BENGALURU: India reported another record surge in daily COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking the total to 1.64 million, as the government further eases virus curbs in a bid to resuscitate the economy, while also trying to increase testing. Infections jumped by 55,078 in the past 24 hours, while the death toll rose by 779 to 35,747, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on its website. The ministry also said it aimed to raise the country’s capacity to 1 million coronavirus tests per day in the medium term, from a record 600,000 on Friday. The federal government this week announced the reopening of yoga institutes and gymnasiums, and removed restrictions on the movement of people and goods. The post India’s coronavirus cases rise by a daily record of 55,078 appeared first on ARY NEWS .

Siasat Wala Blog

Search This Blog