The State Comptroller’s Office on Sunday rejected Netanyahu’s second request for permission to solicit donations to fund his legal defense in the indictments he will likely be facing soon. The official response is expected to be issued on Tuesday.
Netanyahu’s personal financial value is estimated at $11 million.
After the prime minister’s request to receive a donation to cover his legal costs from his cousin and another wealthy donor had been denied, Netanyahu submitted a second request, asking for permission to raise $2 million.
The comptroller’s permissions committee ruled that it was unreasonable that a man suspected of corruption in providing benefits to financial tycoons would be allowed to seek donations from the same tycoons to pay for his legal defense.
In their renewed request, the prime minister’s attorneys argued that the first request had been imprecise, due to the illness Netanyahu’s top legal advocate, Jacob Weinroth, now deceased.
They lawyers argued: “Cases of monstrous proportions, such as the 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 files, which are piling up before our eyes, require a different and exceptional consideration because of the cumulative defense costs – which are of unprecedented scope.”
“Anyone wishing to confront one person with a series of cases this large and complex, must recognize that this individual cannot afford to defend himself against such a large collection of suspicions and investigation materials,” Bibi’s lawyers continued. “Therefore, this request is being submitted at this stage for the establishment of an initial defense budget of $1 million to be raised from the two donors. Further requests will be submitted, up to a total ceiling of $2 million from these donors.”
Did we mention that Netanyahu’s personal financial value is estimated at $11 million?
The request mentioned that Netanyahu intends to honor his debt to his previous legal team, and will create a fund of $100,000 of his own money to go to his new team.
The Likud party issued a statement in response to the comptroller’s rejection, saying: “This is a scandalous and biased decision aimed solely at Prime Minister Netanyahu. In order to form a leftist government of Lapid-Ganz, they do not hesitate to use anything, including depriving Prime Minister Netanyahu of his right to finance his legal protection, a basic right granted to every member of the Knesset, but is now being revoked from one MK named Benjamin Netanyahu.”
The Likud statement said Netanyahu plans to appeal “this scandalous decision” to the High Court of Justice.