Australian billionaire sent $1.25 million to Netanyahu's lawyers

The law firm defending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received at least 1.25 million US dollars from Australian billionaire James Packer, according to a report published Monday by The Sydney Morning Herald. The newspaper stated that the money arrived via monthly wire transfers of 50,000 dollars each over the past two years. The first transfer occurred on September 23, 2024. The report noted that the findings have not been independently confirmed.

The transfers originated from a Citibank account belonging to Packer's company, Consolidated Press International. The funds were deposited into an account at Bank Mizrahi Tefahot held by the Tel Aviv firm Hadad Roth Shenhar. A source familiar with Packer's financial affairs told the newspaper that the payments covered work performed by Packer, such as identifying investment opportunities in Israel. The source claimed the payments were unrelated to the prime minister's trial. The Herald asked for evidence of these deals but received no reply from Packer or his company before publication.

Packer declined to comment when approached by the paper but did not deny the payments. Amit Hadad, Netanyahu's defense attorney, did not answer the newspaper's questions. He also refused to address the matter at the Jerusalem District Court, where evidentiary hearings are currently ongoing. The report was released on the eve of Israeli elections, a period when the prime minister's trial is still active.

A spokesman for Netanyahu responded to the inquiry with a blunt rejection of its relevance. He said, "I couldn't give a monkey's about your questions. We are very busy. We have an election on right now." The timing places the disclosure against a backdrop of heightened political activity and legal proceedings.

Packer is named in Case 1000 of the trial, where Netanyahu is accused of accepting gifts from Packer and businessman Arnon Milchan. Netanyahu faces fraud and breach of trust charges in this case, though Packer is not a defendant. Prosecutors argue that the gifts were not isolated incidents but formed a continuous supply line in response to requests and demands. They allege that Netanyahu advanced Milchan's interests in areas including US visa applications, tax benefits for returning residents, and regulatory matters related to Israeli television investment.

The indictment specifies that gifts to Netanyahu and his wife totaled approximately 690,000 Israeli shekels, primarily consisting of cigars and champagne. The portion attributed to Packer amounted to 229,174 shekels, broken down into 145,577 shekels for cigars and 83,597 shekels for champagne. The allegations involving Packer cover the period from 2014 to 2016. Hadas Klein, an employee of both Milchan and Packer, served as a key prosecution witness regarding the delivery of these gifts.

Netanyahu's trial began in May 2020 and encompasses three cases involving alleged dealings with media owners. He faces fraud and breach of trust charges in all three cases, along with a bribery charge in Case 4000. That specific case concerns alleged regulatory benefits provided to the Bezeq telecommunications company in exchange for favorable coverage on the Walla news site. Netanyahu denies all wrongdoing.