Israel’s attorney general will announce later Thursday whether he plans to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over longstanding allegations of corruption, according to the Justice Ministry.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit will announce his long-awaited decision to the public at 7:30 p.m. local time from the ministry’s headquarters in Jerusalem.
If, as is widely expected, charges are announced against Netanyahu, it would be the first time Israel is led by a premier facing a criminal indictment — and would deal a heavy blow to his hopes of remaining in office.
If Netanyahu is cleared, it would give him a major boost as the country braces for the possibility of its third election in less than a year.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has called activists from his Likud party and other supporters to the prime minister’s house an hour after the expected announcement, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The embattled leader faces multiple graft allegations, including wrongfully accepting $264,000 worth of gifts — including cigars and champagne — from tycoons, offering to trade favors with a newspaper publisher and using his influence to help a wealthy telecom magnate in exchange for favorable coverage on a popular news site.
Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing in the three corruption cases, for which police recommended criminal charges in February, and claimed he is a victim of a political witch hunt as he lashed out at the media, prosecutors and the justice system.
He could face up to 10 years behind bars if convicted of bribery and a maximum three-year term for fraud and breach of trust.
An indictment of Israel’s longest-serving leader would raise more uncertainty over who will ultimately lead a country mired in political chaos after two inconclusive elections this year.
With Post wires