Israel's Netanyahu charged in corruption cases

Israel's attorney general on Thursday formally charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a series of corruption cases, throwing the country's paralysed political system into further disarray and threatening the long-time leader's grip on power.

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Benjamin Netanyahu charged with fraud

Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit charged Netanyahu with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three different scandals. It is the first time a sitting Israeli Prime Minister has been charged with a crime. Mandelblit was set to issue a formal statement later Thursday. Allegations against Netanyahu include suspicions he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of champagne and cigars from billionaire friends, offered to trade favours with a newspaper publisher and used his influence to help a wealthy telecom magnate in exchange for favourable coverage on a popular news site.

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Netanyahu dismisses allegations

The indictment does not require Netanyahu to resign but is expected to raise pressure on him to step down. Netanyahu has called the allegations part of a witch hunt, lashing out against the media, police, prosecutors and the justice system. Netanyahu was scheduled to issue a statement later Thursday.

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