Packer's Firm Sent $1.25 Million to Netanyahu's Trial Lawyers
Monthly wire transfers totaling $1.25 million reached the defense team during the prime minister's ongoing criminal trial, according to a new Australian report.
By Hassan Rahman ·
At least $1.25 million in monthly wire transfers reached the law firm defending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report published Monday by The Sydney Morning Herald. The payments arrived over a two-year period, starting on September 23, 2024.
The report identifies the source of the funds as Consolidated Press International, a company owned by Australian billionaire James Packer. The money moved from a Citibank account to an account held by the Tel Aviv firm Hadad Roth Shenhar at Bank Mizrahi Tefahot. Each transfer was for $50,000.
The newspaper noted that it could not independently confirm the report's findings. A source familiar with Packer's financial affairs told The Herald that the payments covered work performed by the billionaire, such as identifying investment deals in Israel. The source stated the transfers had no connection to the prime minister's criminal trial.
The Herald requested evidence of the investment deals or other work by the firm. Neither Packer nor his company responded by the time the report was published. When approached for comment, Packer declined to speak but did not deny the payments. Amit Hadad, Netanyahu's defense attorney, did not answer the newspaper's questions and refused to address the matter at the Jerusalem District Court.
A spokesman for Netanyahu responded to the inquiry with a blunt rejection. "I couldn't give a monkey's about your questions," the spokesman said. "We are very busy. We have an election on right now." The report emerges just as Israel prepares for national elections while the trial continues.
Packer is a central figure in Case 1000, the first part of Netanyahu's trial. Prosecutors accuse the prime minister of accepting gifts from Packer and businessman Arnon Milchan. The indictment alleges the gifts became a regular "supply line" in response to requests and demands. Netanyahu faces charges of fraud and breach of trust in that case. Packer is not a defendant.
According to the indictment, Packer provided gifts worth NIS 229,174 between 2014 and 2016. These items consisted of NIS 145,577 in cigars and NIS 83,597 in champagne. Hadas Klein, who worked for both Packer and Milchan, testified regarding the delivery of these items. The broader trial, which began in May 2020, covers three cases involving media owners and alleged regulatory benefits.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
