Benjamin Netanyahu submits request for pardon in corruption trial

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the president to grant him a pardon in his long-running corruption trial which has bitterly divided the country.

Mr Netanyahu, who has been at war against the country’s legal system over the charges, said the request would help unify the country at a time of momentous changes in the region, but it immediately triggered denunciations from his opponents who said it would weaken Israel’s democratic institutions and send a dangerous message that he is above the rule of law.

In a statement on Sunday the prime minister’s office said Netanyahu had submitted a request for a pardon to the legal department of the Office of the President.

The office called it an “extraordinary request” with “significant implications”.

Mr Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three cases accusing him of exchanging favours with wealthy political supporters. He has not yet been convicted of anything.

He rejects the allegations and has condemned the case as a witch hunt orchestrated by the media, police and judiciary.

The request comes weeks after US President Donald Trump urged Israel to pardon him.

Earlier this month Mr Trump sent a letter to President Isaac Herzog calling the corruption case “political, unjustified prosecution”.

In a videotaped statement, Netanyahu said the trial has divided the country and a pardon would help restore national unity.

He also said the requirement that he appear in court three times a week is a distraction that makes it difficult for him to lead the country.

Netanyahu said: “The continuation of the trial tears us apart from within, stirs up this division and deepens rifts.

“I am sure, like many others in the nation, that an immediate conclusion of the trial would greatly help to lower the flames and promote the broad reconciliation that our country so desperately needs.”

His request consisted of two documents: a detailed letter signed by his lawyer and a letter signed by Netanyahu. They will be sent to the justice ministry for opinions and will then be transferred to the legal adviser in the Office of the President, which will formulate additional opinions for the president.

Legal experts say the pardon request cannot stop the trial.

“It’s impossible,” said Emi Palmor, former director general of the justice ministry.

“You cannot claim that you’re innocent while the trial is going on and come to the president and ask him to intervene.”

The only way to stop the trial is to ask the attorney general to withhold the proceedings, she said.

Netanyahu’s request sparked an immediate response from the opposition, which urged the president not to give in to his request.

“You cannot grant him a pardon without an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse and an immediate retirement from political life,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel said granting a pardon to a prime minister accused of serious offences of fraud and breach of trust would send a clear message that there are citizens who are above the law.