Israel’s Netanyahu seeks pardon in years-long corruption trial

• Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, has long denied the bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges
• President Issac Herzog’s office announced earlier on Sunday that the request had been received, releasing the letter from the lawyers

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the country’s president on Sunday for a pardon in his years-long corruption trial, arguing that criminal proceedings were hindering his ability to govern and a pardon would be good for Israel.

Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, has long denied the bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges. His lawyers said in a letter to the president’s office that the prime minister still believes the legal proceedings would result in a complete acquittal.

“My lawyers sent a request for pardon to the president of the country today. I expect that anyone who wishes for the good of the country support this step,” Netanyahu said in a brief video statement released by his political party, Likud.

President Issac Herzog’s office announced earlier on Sunday that the request had been received, releasing the letter from the lawyers.

Herzog’s office said the request would be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice, as is standard practice, to collect opinions, which would be submitted to the president’s legal adviser, who will formulate a recommendation for the president.

Israel’s Justice Minister, Yariv Levin, is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party and a close ally of the prime minister.

In the letter, Netanyahu’s lawyers argued that criminal proceedings against him had deepened societal divisions and that ending the trial was necessary for national reconciliation. They also wrote that increasingly frequent court hearings were burdensome while the prime minister was attempting to govern.

“I am required to testify three times a week ... That is an impossible demand that is not made of any other citizen,” Netanyahu said in the video statement, emphasizing that he had received the public’s trust by repeatedly winning elections.

Neither the prime minister nor his lawyers made any admission of guilt. A pardon in Israel has traditionally been granted only after legal proceedings have concluded and the accused has been convicted. Netanyahu’s lawyers argued that the president can intervene when public interest is at stake, as in this case, with a view to healing divisions and strengthening national unity.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a statement that Netanyahu should not be pardoned without an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse, and immediate retirement from political life.