04.06.2025 09:13
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded with "I don't remember" 1,788 times during the first cross-examination conducted as part of a corruption case. Netanyahu defended his failure to answer questions by stating, "Everyone experiences memory lapses from time to time, even I do."
According to a report by The Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu described his first cross-examination on Tuesday, six months after he first appeared in court regarding the corruption case against him, as "a joke."
FILE 1000
The questioning of the Israeli Prime Minister focused on allegations that he received a total of $195,000 worth of expensive cigars and champagne from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and businessman James Packer, known to the public as file 1000, as well as jewelry worth $3,100 for his wife, Sara.
"EVERYONE HAS MEMORY LOSSES FROM TIME TO TIME"
During the cross-examination, Netanyahu stated that he responded "I don't remember" a total of 1,788 times to Prosecutor Yonatan Tadmor, arguing that "Everyone has memory losses from time to time, even me," which justified his failure to answer the questions.
NETANYAHU'S CORRUPTION CASES
On November 21, 2019, Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit requested that charges be filed against Netanyahu in three separate corruption cases for "bribery, breach of trust, and abuse of office for personal gain." Netanyahu, who made history as the first sitting Israeli Prime Minister to be tried, had his first hearing on May 24, 2020, at the Jerusalem District Court.
Netanyahu first appeared before a judge at the Tel Aviv District Court on December 10, 2024, to give testimony. He is being tried on charges of bribery, fraud, and abuse of office in three separate corruption cases known as "1000," "2000," and "4000."