Benjamin Netanyahu has been charged with bribery and fraud but the Israeli PM has rejected all the charges.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected all the allegations of fraud in a statement and said that he is not going to step down from the post of PM even after the fraud charges.
The PM said that the allegations are false and politically motivated, hours after being charged by the attorney general with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. He has clearly denied all the allegations imposed on him.
“What is going on here is an attempt to stage a coup against the prime minister,” Netanyahu said. “The object of the investigations was to oust the right-wing from government,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, the Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit informed about the charges and said that it is a heavy-hearted decision which has been taken only on the basis of solid legal evidence. But the PM in his justification said that the investigators are not after the truth but after him.
In his 15-minute long speech, Netanyahu criticized his political rivals and state institutions, accusing the police and judiciary of bias. He argued that it was the time for an “investigation of the investigators”, and sworn to remain in his position even after the potential court dates and intense political pressure.
“I will continue to lead this country, according to the letter of the law,” he said. “I will not allow lies to win.”
Since the charges have been imposed, the big concern has turned out that who will rule the country after the two inconclusive elections this year.
According to Israeli laws, Netanyahu is not required to step down from the post of PM if accused. The whole process of an indictment and trial could take 2 years.
Being a prime minister, he can only be forced to resign from the post if he is convicted and nothing else can be done, where he could face up to 10 years of jail and/or a fine for bribery charges alone. Whereas in case of fraud and breach of trust carry a prison sentence of up to 3 years.
