Sources with knowledge of the details of the plea bargain that is being discussed between former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Attorney General Dr. Avichai Mandelblit told Channel 13 News on Friday that the chances of Netanyahu signing a deal are 50-50.
At the same time, other sources who spoke to Channel 13 News said that the chances of a deal are high, given the fact that the opposition chairman is interested in leaving the matter behind him. Meanwhile, the Attorney General is not willing to waive the moral turpitude clause of the agreement, and is assuming that a conviction on charges of breach of trust will result in moral turpitude in any case.
On Wednesday, Channel 13 reported that Netanyahu is engaging in negotiations with Mandelblit for a possible plea bargain. Netanyahu is said to have agreed to Mandelblit’s demand that he resign from the Knesset before being convicted, and to leave politics for several years.
Mandelblit also reportedly demanded that Netanyahu be given a minimum sentence of at least community service and an admission of moral turpitude, which could hinder Netanyahu’s return to politics.
On Thursday, Channel 12 News reported that prosecutors are prepared to make major concessions to Netanyahu in order to secure a plea bargain.
According the report, prosecutors are willing to rewrite the “Case 4000” indictment - which in its current form includes one charge of bribery, the most serious charges Netanyahu currently faces in any of the indictments against him.
Prosecutors are reportedly willing to drop the bribery charge and instead focusing only on the breach of trust charges in the indictment.
The report claimed that prosecutors are even prepared to close “Case 2000” entirely, dropping all charges related to accusations that Netanyahu and Yediot Aharonot publisher Arnon Mozes made an arrangement to push legislation limiting the free distribution of a rival newspaper in exchange for favorable coverage of Netanyahu.
In the “Case 1000” indictment – relating to claims Netanyahu and his family received hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from wealthy businessmen in exchange for assistance in securing tax breaks and travel visas – prosecutors are reportedly willing to remove the fraud charge.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)