Investigator: Cell phone of key witness in Netanyahu trial was spied on
Netanyahu (centre) in November
© 2022 AFP
According to the Attorney General’s Office, spyware was installed on the mobile phone of an important witness in the corruption trial against former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
According to prosecutors, spyware was installed on the mobile phone of an important witness in the corruption trial against former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Prosecutors said Wednesday that the cell phone of a former relative of Netanyahu and the director of the Communications Ministry was hacked after court approval. However, no data relevant to Netanyahu’s trial has been discovered. And demanded the Public Prosecution to continue the procedures.
The Jerusalem court, before which Netanyahu’s trial is taking place, has ordered the attorney general’s office to investigate reports of spying on witnesses at the trial using the controversial Pegasus software. The attorney general’s office has now stated that based on the findings of the investigation, the Justice Ministry is of the opinion that Netanyahu’s trial “should proceed as planned and that there is no reason to postpone it.”
The attorney general’s statement on Wednesday did not name the Pegasus program. The revelation of the software being developed by the Israeli company NSO sparked international outrage last year. Accordingly, governments in many countries around the world have used the Pegasus system to spy on dissidents, activists, and journalists.
Netanyahu’s defense team on Wednesday accused investigators of taking “unlawful” actions against the witnesses. Netanyahu himself called on his supporters to take to the streets Thursday night to protest the continuation of the trial.
Filber is one of the main witnesses in the long-running prime minister’s trial. According to investigators, he acted as an intermediary between Netanyahu and the largest shareholder of the Bezeq telecommunications group, Shaul Elovitch. According to the indictment, Netanyahu is said to have brought him lucrative profits – in exchange for positive reports at the Walla broker, which belongs to the Bezeq group.
Netanyahu, who was Israel’s prime minister until last year, is on trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The politician from the right-wing Likud party denied the allegations. His trial is expected to take several more months. The appeal process may take years.
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