Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dropped his request for immunity from prosecution in three corruption cases.
In a statement issued on his Facebook page on Tuesday, Netanyahu said the immunity proceedings at the Israeli parliament (Knesset) would be a "circus" and that he did not want to take that "dirty game."
The Knesset was set to convene later in the day to discuss the formation of a committee to debate Netanyahus request for immunity from prosecution.
The right-wing bloc of parties backing Netanyahu at the upcoming general elections had decided to boycott the parliamentary session, calling it tainted and politicized.
"During this fateful time for the people of Israel, while I am in the US on a historic mission to shape Israels permanent borders and ensure our security for future generations, another Knesset episode is expected to begin in the immunity circus," wrote Netanyahu, who is currently on a visit to Washington ahead of US President Donald Trumps unveiling of his controversial deal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Since I was not given due process, because all the rules of the Knesset were trampled on, and since the results of the procedure were pre-dictated without proper discussion, I decided not to allow this dirty game to continue," he added.
Netanyahus main rival, Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz, said Netanyahu cannot run Israel while standing trial.
"Netanyahu is going to trial - we must move forward. Israels citizens have a clear choice: A prime minister who will work for them or a prime minister working for himself," he said in a statement. "No one can run a state and at the same time manage three serious criminal cases for bribery, fraud and breach of trust."
Last November, the Israeli premier was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust stemming from three long-running cases.
He rejected his indictment on corruption charges as an "attempted coup" stemming from "false accusations" and a systematically "tainted investigation."
In early January, he asked the parliament to grant him immunity from prosecution in those cases.
Case 1,000 involves allegations that Netanyahu received luxury gifts from international billionaires in exchange for favors. In Case 2,000, he is accused of conspiring with the owner of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper to undermine a critical daily. And Case 4,000 involves allegations that Netanyahu offered incentives to the Israeli telecom provider Bezeq in return for positive stories in the Walla news website.
Netanyahus retraction of his immunity request paves the way for legal proceedings against him to go forward.
Now, Israels attorney general can file the indictment with the Jerusalem District Court at any time, instead of having to wait for the conclusion of immunity deliberations at the parliament.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/13335
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