Mati Tuchfeld, head of C14's political desk, said on air Monday that the panel of judges in Prime Minister Netanyahu's trial has formally communicated to the prosecution its recommendation to drop the bribery charge — and that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is refusing to act on it for political reasons, prolonging what he called a 'theater of the absurd.' Tuchfeld argued the episode proves the urgency of the judicial reform and the need to oust the attorney general.
Mati Tuchfeld, head of the political desk at Channel 14, went on air Monday afternoon and delivered a blistering attack on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, claiming the panel of judges in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial has formally told the prosecution in writing to drop the bribery charge — and that the attorney general is deliberately keeping the charge alive for political reasons.
"We are in a theater of the absurd," Tuchfeld said during the live segment. "The attorney general who keeps the file in her hands should have removed the bribery charge long ago, after the judges gave her their written statement. She isn't removing it because it's legally justified — she's doing it because she wants the witch hunt against Netanyahu, which began under Mandelblit, to continue even now."
Tuchfeld's remarks come after a day of heavy commentary on the bribery charge in Case 4000. Earlier Monday, the panel of judges reaffirmed its recommendation to drop the bribery count, and several legal commentators, including Avishai Grintzaig and Beni Ashkenazi, assessed that the prosecution may now be maneuvering toward a Supreme Court appeal rather than complying. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and MK Moshe Saada also attacked the prosecution for refusing to yield.
The Zioneer reported earlier today that the judges' written recommendation followed the conclusion of Netanyahu's testimony and signaled the panel does not believe bribery occurred — a significant legal development. Tuchfeld's on-air outburst shifts the tone from legal analysis to a frontal political challenge against the attorney general, directly linking the case to the urgency of the judicial reform package and the push to remove Baharav-Miara from office.
What remains unconfirmed: whether the prosecution has indeed received a formal written communication from the panel as Tuchfeld claims, and whether the attorney general's office has definitively decided to retain the charge. The source of this report is a single on-air statement by Tuchfeld.
3 developments
- StrongPanel judges in Case 4000: 'The bribery charge must be dropped,' attorney Kastel says
- StrongLegal commentators: Prosecution refusal to drop bribery charge in Case 4000 would aim for a Supreme Court appeal
- DevelopingBen Gvir: Judges' second ruling to dismiss bribery charge proves 'game over' for prosecution
- DevelopingSaar and MK Saada attack prosecution after panel upholds recommendation to drop bribery charge in Case 4000
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
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