Decision on Netanyahu's indictment before April elections

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit of Israel's High Court of Justice is likely to indict Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in graft cases before the upcoming Parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in April, an Israeli news channel confirmed.

The Times of Israel cited Hadashot television news reporting that the attorney general was in consultation with the top judicial officials, including former Supreme Court justices and former attorney generals, over announcing a pre-indictment hearing for the Israeli Prime Minister.

"Announcing a [hearing] decision before elections is our duty to the public that is going to the polls. I will do my utmost to finish the work as soon as possible," Mandelblit stated during a meeting with the officials from the government last week in Jerusalem.

Last year, the Israeli Police had confirmed charges of two graft cases against Netanyahu, one, whereby the Prime Minister accepted gifts from billionaire friends and the second, over trading positive media coverage for advantageous legislation for a newspaper. The third time, the Israeli Prime Minister was accused by the authorities of allegedly favouring the country's largest telecom giant 'Bezeq' in return for more positive coverage of him and his wife, on Bezeq's subsidiary news website, Walla.

However, the Israeli Prime Minister on Monday (December 31) said that he would not resign even if he is indicted by the attorney general under one or any of the corruption charges levelled against him.

Denying the three corruption charges levelled against him, Netanyahu cited the legal procedure while asserting that the law doesn't require him to step aside before any hearing.

"The hearing doesn't end until my side is heard. And therefore it is not logical to open a hearing process before elections if you can't finish it before elections," Netanyahu said.

"Imagine what happens if you oust a prime minister before the end of the hearing process, and at the end of the hearing, it is decided to close the case. That would be absurd, and a terrible blow to democracy," the Prime Minister added.