Mandelblit will take the witness stand in Netanyahu's trial: this is what is expected at the hearing

Former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit will take the witness stand tomorrow in the Case 4000 affair, after the court rejected his request to postpone his testimony. The defense is expected to confront him over investigative failures, the use of spyware and missing approvals. The testimony will last seven days.

Former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit will take the witness stand tomorrow (Sunday) at the Jerusalem District Court in the Case 4000 affair, after the court rejected all of his requests for a postponement. Mandelblit is the one who signed and filed the indictments against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and he will now be required to answer the defense's questions. During his testimony, which will be spread over seven days, the defense is expected to confront him with claims that the phone location data of state witness Shlomo Filber does not match the date of the guidance meeting, the use of spyware against Filber and Netanyahu's circle, improper interrogation tactics and missing approvals for opening an investigation. The judges have previously expressed doubts about the basis of the bribery charge in the case. Unlike senior police officers who testified recently and claimed memory problems, Mandelblit, as head of the system, bears direct responsibility for the decisions. In 2021 he sent a memo to the court in which he claimed that all the approvals had been given lawfully, but that claim will be put to the test in the coming hearings.