Benjamin Netanyahu charged with fraud, bribery, breach of trust; first time sitting Israeli PM has been indicted

Jerusalem: Israel’s attorney general on Thursday formally charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a series of corruption cases, throwing the country’s paralyzed political system into further disarray and threatening the long-time leader’s grip on power. [caption id=“attachment_4374617” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. AP[/caption] Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit charged Netanyahu with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three different scandals. It is the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister has been charged with a crime. Mandelblit is set to issue a formal statement later Thursday. Allegations against Netanyahu include suspicions he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of champagne and cigars from billionaire friends, offered to trade favors with a newspaper publisher and used his influence to help a wealthy telecom magnate in exchange for favorable coverage on a popular news site. The indictment does not require Netanyahu to resign but is expected to raise pressure on him to step down. Netanyahu has called the allegations part of a witch hunt, lashing out against the media, police, prosecutors and the justice system. Netanyahu was scheduled to issue a statement later Thursday.