Saada calls for PM indictment withdrawn, former law enforcement officials investigated

Likud MK Moshe Saada is calling for a new attorney general to withdraw the indictment against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the next elections and for former senior law enforcement officials to face criminal investigations. In an interview at the Arutz Sheva conference, Saada sharply criticized former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, former State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan, and former Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich following recent developments in Netanyahu's trial. Saada described allegations that emerged during court proceedings as evidence of "criminals in the service of the law." He claimed that law enforcement officials had abused their authority in an effort to bring down Netanyahu. "A group of criminals - and I told them this in real time when I was at the Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) - did everything to remove a right-wing prime minister," Saada alleged. "Everything was permitted: extortion through threats, falsifying protocols, using spyware, and conducting illegal wiretaps." Saada also addressed Mandelblit's testimony in court, arguing that it reinforced his longstanding criticism of the way Netanyahu's investigations were conducted. According to Saada, Mandelblit knew of suspicions that investigators had improperly pressured witnesses but failed to order an investigation because of the desire to move forward with the indictment. "Now Mandelblit is pretending not to understand, saying: Yes, I knew about the extortion through threats, but at the same time, we wanted to hurry up and file the indictment," Saada said. Saada's statements reflect his interpretation of Mandelblit's testimony and the conduct of law enforcement officials; they are not judicial findings that the alleged offenses took place. Asked why he had not personally prevented the alleged misconduct while serving in a senior position at DIPI, Saada said he had attempted to raise the alarm at the time. "I received information in real time, but those criminals prevented me from accessing it," he claimed. Saada said that after identifying suspicions of interference with investigations, he filed a complaint against then-police commissioner Roni Alsheich with Mandelblit, who was attorney general at the time. "At first, I believed in him. I thought he was a man of truth," Saada recalled. However, he alleged that instead of addressing the complaint, Mandelblit summoned him to a meeting in his office attended by Alsheich. "Who was there? Mandelblit and Alsheich, who threatened to dismantle DIPI and destroy me," Saada claimed. Saada also discussed the role of former State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan, whom he described as the central figure behind the conduct he criticized. "The mastermind, the architect of the whole affair, was Shai Nitzan. Mandelblit failed to stand firm," he said. Saada recounted that during his time at DIPI, letters were sent to the State Prosecutor's Office raising concerns about what he described as interference with the department's independence and its ability to investigate allegations against police officers. In one letter, he said, officials questioned how long DIPI and its personnel would be abandoned in the name of state interests. Saada argued that the responses reflected a preference for considerations connected to Netanyahu's trial over investigating the allegations. "What does it mean to abandon DIPI, its people and its values? It means abandoning justice and the pursuit of justice," he said. Saada maintained that the affair went beyond individual investigative decisions and reflected a broader pattern of misconduct within law enforcement. "This is a political case. It is a campaign of persecution intended to remove a prime minister," he said. "It began with criminal conduct and ended with criminal conduct." He also discussed allegations that investigators had improperly pressured a witness by threatening to expose personal information about his private life. Saada described a situation in which investigators allegedly possessed intimate information about a suspect and used it to pressure him into cooperating. "Do you want us to destroy your family? What options does he have?" Saada asked, arguing that such conduct amounted to extortion through threats and warranted a criminal investigation. He added that allegations of leaks from investigative files also required examination, noting that the unauthorized disclosure of information by a public official can constitute a criminal offense under certain circumstances. "This is the issue," Saada said, arguing that the reports and testimony revealed so far represented only part of the picture. "What we have been exposed to now is just the tip of the iceberg. There are still major surprises ahead," he predicted. Toward the end of the interview, Saada outlined the steps he believes should be taken after the elections if the Likud remains in power. He called for the appointment of a new attorney general who would reconsider the continuation of the criminal proceedings against Netanyahu. "When we win, we will replace the attorney general," Saada said. "The new attorney general will do two things. First, withdraw the indictment, because there are grounds for a defense of justice." Saada cited Section 149(10) of Israel's Criminal Procedure Law, which addresses the defense of justice, arguing that the alleged conduct of law enforcement authorities justified dismissing the case. "If an authority behaves scandalously - not criminally, but scandalously - it is possible to acquit," he said. "Here, we are talking about criminal conduct by all the senior officials, so clearly there are grounds for a defense of justice." However, dismissing an indictment on grounds of abuse of process is not automatic and requires a legal determination based on the circumstances and applicable law. Alongside his call to reconsider the indictment, Saada urged the appointment of a new head of DIPI to investigate the allegations against the officials involved. "The second thing we will need to do, and this will be handled by the new head of DIPI, is investigate those criminals so they pay a price for the extortion, the obstruction and the falsification," he said. Saada concluded by expressing hope that the steps he advocated would finally bring about what he described as justice.