BICOM

The Israeli Police announced yesterday that Nir Hefetz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former media advisor, has agreed to become a state witness in connection with Case 4000.

Hefetz was arrested two weeks ago on suspicion of bribery and obstruction of justice. In return for his cooperation, he will not serve time in prison or be required to pay a fine. He is the third close associate of Netanyahu to become a state witness, after Ari Harow and Shlomo Filber signed similar agreements to give evidence against the Prime Minister.

Hefetz will likely give evidence in four cases involving Netanyahu. Case 1000, involves Netanyahu receiving gifts from wealthy friends in which he is charged with bribery and breach of trust. Case 2000, involves alleged collusion between Netanyahu and the publisher of Yediot Ahronot who promised favourable media coverage in return for the Government placing restrictions on the operations of its competitor Yisrael Hayom. During the time of the alleged crime, Hefetz was working for Yediot Ahronot before working as a senior advisor to Netanyahu. Case 4000 involves alleged corruption and bribery in a deal between the Communications ministry and the telecommunications company Bezeq in return for favourable media coverage on the news website Walla.

Hefetz is also likely to give evidence in Case 1270, an alleged attempt to bribe District Court President Judge Hila Gerstl by appointing her to the post of Attorney General if she agreed not to indict Sara Netanyahu’s.

Likud Minister of Social Equality Gila Gamliel said yesterday that “we are no longer excited by state’s witnesses in the criminal proceeding. In terms of evidence, a state’s witness holds a relatively lower weight than a regular witness. We have to wait patiently for the Attorney General to have all the considerations before [him] before receiving a more accurate picture and knowing where we are headed.”

Hefetz has alleged that Netanyahu made decisions relating to state security under the influence of his wife Sara and his son Yair, and in two cases decided against the counsel of top security officials.

Hefetz has been a close confidant to Netanyahu and his wife Sara, often defending the family in the media. He served as the family’s media advisor from 2014 to 2017, working primarily with Sara Netanyahu. He was one of the six people questioned simultaneously regarding Case 4000 on Friday, along with Netanyahu and his wife Sara, Shlomo Elovitch and his wife Iris and Eitan Tzafrir, a former chief of staff at the Communications Ministry.