MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2022) Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to move ahead in a plea deal negotiation with prosecutors, Israeli broadcaster KAN reported on Monday.
Prosecutors, however, have denied being in talks with Netanyahu, and the signing of a plea deal is still uncertain, The Jerusalem Post newspaper said, citing sources from both defense and prosecution teams.
Netanyahu has been a suspect in several corruption scandals during his time as a prime minister. The investigations include allegations that the politician received expensive gifts from various businesspeople, advanced a law that would benefit a major newspaper, and supported loosening regulation of telecom giant Bezeq in return for favorable coverage. The cases are officially dubbed as 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000. Netanyahu has dismissed all accusations.
According to earlier Israeli media reports, the sides have agreed in informal talks on several points to drop cases against the former prime minister. In exchange, the politician will reportedly have to plead guilty on the deception of public trust in cases 1,000 and 4,000, for which he will be sentenced to community service for up to six months instead of a jail term.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu on Twitter denied reports that he agreed to the main controversy in the plea negotiations, under which the prosecution requires the politician to accept a charge of "moral turpitude," which would ban him from politics for seven years.
Netanyahu's trial began in May 2020, and witness testimony kicked off in April 2021.
