Leader also fighting to save political career after failing to secure election wins this year

This article is more than 11 months old

This article is more than 11 months old

Defence lawyers representing Benjamin Netanyahu have presented their arguments against looming bribery, fraud and breach of trust indictments as a long-awaited pre-trial hearing begins.

Wednesday’s closed-door hearing, the culmination of three years of investigations, arrives at an especially fraught time for Israel’s longest-serving leader. Netanyahu is also fighting for his political life after failing to secure a clear win in two elections this year.

Clinching the premiership for a historic fifth term is seen as a way to protect himself if indicted, as Israeli prime ministers are not required under law to step down unless they are ultimately convicted. That process could take months or even years.

Political survival for Netanyahu is also potentially tied to his personal freedom as some of his parliamentary allies have suggested they would back laws to grant him immunity if he remains prime minister.

Netanyahu has denied all allegations as a politically orchestrated “witch-hunt” to oust him from office.

However, both the attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, and the police have already suggested indictments are likely in three cases, including multiple fraud and breach of trust charges, and a bribery charge.

He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of bribery and a maximum three-year term for fraud and breach of trust.

A team of Netanyahu’s lawyers arrived at the Justice Ministry to argue that all charges should be dropped. One member, Amit Haddad, said they would present new evidence to help his client, without specifying.

“We are sure that once we present our findings there will be no choice but to close the case,” Haddad said before entering the hearing. “We believe and know that at the end of the day all the three cases must be closed.”

The first case, known as Case 1,000, involves allegations of receiving gifts, including cigars, champagne and jewellery, from billionaires, among them the Australian casino operator James Packer, allegedly in exchange for favours. In Case 2,000, Netanyahu is accused of colluding with the country’s top-selling newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, to hurt its competition in exchange for favourable coverage.

In the third and most damning, Case 4,000, Netanyahu is accused of offering incentives to the Israeli telecoms provider Bezeq in exchange for positive stories on an online news website it owns.

The pre-trial hearing is not a court appearance, and Netanyahu is not expected to be present. Instead, it grants his legal team a last-ditch chance to convince the attorney general to either scrap or reduce the charges.

Hearings are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and Monday, but Mandelblit could delay his decision until December or even later. Even then, it could take months before his trial begins.

Also on Wednesday, Netanyahu was hoping to meet his political rival Benny Gantz in an attempt to forge a unity deal between the two parties after a deadlocked 17 September election.

However, Gantz’s Blue and White party released a statement on Tuesday evening saying he would not attend any meeting after negotiations between the two parties stalled.

Netanyahu may be preparing to inform President Reuven Rivlin that he was unable to form a government. If he hands back the mandate, the president could ask Gantz to try, although he also does not command a majority in the Israeli parliament.

With no apparent route out of the crisis, there is the possibility of a third national election.

AP contributed to this report