According to a report, when he takes the stand next Tuesday, a key witness in the criminal trial of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will testify to the former prime minister’s wife and son’s deep involvement in the country’s media landscape. Friday.
Nir Hefetz, Netanyahu’s former aide and confidant-turned-state witness, will testify in Case 4000 – one of three against the former prime minister. Netanyahu, who has been charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in this case and fraud and breach of trust in two others, says the cases against him were fabricated by police and prosecutors and denies any wrongdoing. Huh.
In Case 4000, he is accused of acting illegally and lucratively to benefit the business interests of Bezek’s controlling shareholder, Shaul Elovic, in exchange for positive coverage on the Walla news website owned by Elovic. Netanyahu is accused of abusing his powers as both prime minister and minister of communications from 2014 to 2017.
Heifetz sat down with state prosecutors to prepare for his testimony, and some details of the recent meeting were leaked to Channel 13.
According to the tapes, former Netanyahu aides will testify that the former prime minister’s wife, Sarah, was involved in recruiting spokesmen in the prime minister’s office.
Heifetz will also highlight the family’s “obsession” with the media, particularly the Walla news site at the center of Case 4000. Spokesmen were made aware that part of their work was to “correct the historical injustice done to Sarah Netanyahu”. husband’s public role,” Heifetz told prosecutors.
The prime minister’s wife has often been portrayed in the media in a casual manner for her alleged abusive behavior towards employees.
Heifetz will testify that Netanyahu was aware that some of his aides, Jonathan Urich and Topaz Luk, were tasked with matters relating to defending Sarah in the public sphere.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) celebrates his 64th birthday with his wife Sarah and their son Yair at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. October 20, 2013. (gpio/flash90)
He also says that Netanyahu and his wife were heavily involved, and even launched some hit-pieces against Meni Naftali, the former caretaker of the prime minister’s residence, the latter accusing the couple of excessive spending and public relations. Alleged misappropriation of funds.
The former aide will also reveal the extent of the Netanyahu family’s involvement in saving the hard-right Channel 20 news outlet, which has suffered collapse over the past decade.
Heifetz says Netanyahu’s son Yair sought to involve himself in recruiting journalists on the network, sending a list of names the channel should pick up. When candidates weren’t selected, Yayer sat down with network executives to voice their disappointment, Heifetz says.
He will also testify that Yair and Sarah Netanyahu were involved in the recruitment of Eran Tiffenbrun as an editor at Walla. Heifetz told prosecutors, Sarah Netanyahu conditioned her consent to the appointment of Tiefenbrun on the latter’s agreement to write the column against Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Noni Moses — “in order to save her.”
In regards to his imprisonment and allegations of wrongdoing by his interrogators during his interrogation, Heifetz told prosecutors that he planned to prosecute the state.
After being arrested and interrogated over a period of two weeks, Heifetz became a state witness and is believed to have provided prosecutors important information as an interlocutor between Netanyahu and Bezek’s Shaul Elovitch.
Channel 12 revealed that Heifetz was pressured by illegitimate means to turn against Netanyahu. It said that another person with no connection to Case 4000 was brought in by the police and questioned for pressurizing Heifetz to sign an agreement with the authorities, and Hefetz had in fact criticized the police’s move. Did this after.
Nonetheless, Channel 13 reported on Thursday that Heifetz told prosecutors that the strategy of the interrogation did not affect his decision to sign an agreement to be a state witness.
When Heifetz takes the stand on Tuesday, Netanyahu will have to appear in court.
