Adv. Boaz Ben Zur, who is the defense attorney for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Case 4000 corruption trial has asked to step down from representing him. In Case 4000, which was filed four years ago, Netanyahu is charged with fraud and breach of trust for allegedly promising regulatory changes to then Bezeq owner Shaul Elovitch, in exchange for positive coverage on the Walla! News website. Netanyahu and Elovitch deny the charges.
Adv. Ben Zur will be replaced by Adv. Amit Hadad who is representing Netanyahu in Cases 1000 and 2000.
A spokesperson for Netanyahu said, "Due to the health situation in the family, Adv. Boaz Ben Zur informed the Jerusalem District Court today that with the consent of and in coordination with the prime minister, he intends ending his role after the conclusion of the prosecution case in Case 4000."
Adv. Ben Zur said, "Since the start of the process until now I have been convinced that there is no basis to the charges against the prime minister and that they are groundless for the court. I trust and am certain that Adv. Hadad will continue and argue this in the defense case."
Netanyahu himself said, "I thank Adv. Ben Zur for his professional and dedicated work and his significant revelations that he uncovered, which disprove the accusations against me. I regret his departure, but under the circumstances - family comes first. I can only wish a complete recovery of the illness in his family."
Ben Zur is one of Israel's leading defense attorneys who began representing Netanyahu in August 2020 with his daughter Adv. Carmel Ben Zur. In the past he has represented Arnon Milchan and his assistant Hadas Klein, who are both prosecution witnesses in Case 1000. Because of this Ben Zur only represented Netanyahu in Case 4000 and was not present at hearings in Case 1000.
In March 2023, after Netanyahu fired Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, there were media reports that Ben Zur had threatened to resign if Netanyahu did not halt judicial reform legislative procedures.
Presumption of innocence: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not been convicted and denies the charges against him and has the right to be presumed innocent
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 29, 2024.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2024.