Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and MK Moshe Saada (Likud) sharply criticized the prosecution Monday after the panel of judges reaffirmed its recommendation to drop the bribery charge in Case 4000. Saar warned that continued prosecution obstinacy would be a 'disgrace'; Saada accused the prosecution of continuing its 'persecution campaign.'
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and MK Moshe Saada (Likud) on Monday launched a harsh attack on the State Prosecutor's Office, following the panel of judges' reaffirmation of its recommendation to dismiss the bribery charge against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Case 4000 — the Bezeq-Walla affair.
Saar wrote: "If the prosecution continues to dig in, it will be a disgrace." Saada accused the prosecution of persisting in a "persecution campaign" against Netanyahu.
The panel's statement Monday came as a response to the prosecution's request to reconsider the earlier recommendation. The development keeps the long-running trial in a state of flux, with the legal wrangling over the bribery charge now facing an explicit judicial finding against pursuing it — but with the prosecution refusing to concede.
Case 4000 concerns allegations that Netanyahu secured favorable coverage on the Walla news site in exchange for regulatory benefits for Bezeq telecoms owner Shaul Elovitch. The panel's recommendation does not automatically end the case but carries significant weight in court proceedings.
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