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.