Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hired a well-known lawyer described in the Israeli press as a “specialist in white-collar crime” to represent him and his wife if they face criminal corruption charges. Jacob Weinroth is considered to be one of the country’s top defense attorneys.
The potential prosecution stems from a report published Tuesday by Israel’s state comptroller, accusing the Netanyahus of spending public funds in a way that “strayed from the cornerstone principles of financial management and the principles of proportionality, reasonableness, saving, and efficiency.”
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According to Haaretz columnist Gidi Weitz, Weinroth was once asked by a colleague if he thought Netanyahu was corrupt. “No,” he replied. “Netanyahu wouldn’t take a bribe. He’s incapable of ever giving anything to anyone.”
Weinroth faced bribery charges of his own in 2011 when state prosecutors accused him of providing legal services to former senior Tax Authority official Yehoshua “Shuki” Vita for free or at little cost, in exchange for Vita handling tax arrangements between Weinroth and his wealthier clients. The lawyer was acquitted two years after his indictment.
