Jakarta, hitclubapk3 Indonesia
—
Prime Minister of Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu
on Sunday (23/11) officially asked the country’s president to grant him pardon from corruption charges.
This step was taken by Netanyahu in an effort to end the prolonged trial which he claims has clearly divided the nation.
Netanyahu argued that a request for pardon for the charges would help unite Israel at a time of great change in the region.
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
However, Netanyahu’s request immediately sparked condemnation from political opponents, who said it would weaken Israel’s democratic institutions and send a dangerous message that he is above the law.
In a statement on Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said Netanyahu had submitted a pardon request to the legal department of the Presidential Office.The president’s office called it an “extraordinary request” that carries “significant implications.”
“After receiving all relevant opinions, the President will consider the request responsibly and sincerely,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office said in a statement, as reported
CBS News
.
Netanyahu is the only serving prime minister in Israel’s history to be tried.He was charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases that accused him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters.He has not been convicted of any charges.
Netanyahu rejected the accusations and condemned the case as a “witch hunt” engineered by the media, police and judiciary.
This request comes several weeks after United States (US) President Donald Trump urged Israel to pardon Netanyahu.Earlier this month, Trump also sent a letter to Herzog calling the corruption case an “unjustified political prosecution.”
In a recorded statement, Netanyahu said the trial had divided the country and a pardon for him would help restore national unity.He also claims that the obligation to appear in court three times a week is a nuisance that makes it difficult for him to lead the country.
“The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from the inside, fueling these divisions, and deepening the rift. I believe, like many others in the country, that a speedy conclusion to the trial will go a long way to easing tensions and promoting the broad reconciliation our country so desperately needs,” he said.
Netanyahu’s trial has been repeatedly delayed as he has had to deal with the war with Hamas and the brutal aggression in Gaza since October 2023.
Netanyahu’s pardon request consists of two documents, a detailed letter signed by his lawyer and a letter signed by Netanyahu himself.
The document will be sent to the Ministry of Justice for an opinion and then transferred to the Legal Advisor in the President’s Office, who will formulate additional opinions for the President.
(wow)
[Gambas:hitclubapk3 Video]
