High Court says Netanyahu must explain why money from cousin not an illicit gift timesofisrael.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from timesofisrael.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, speaks with then-cabinet secretary Avichai Mandelblit, right, during a weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, on December 20, 2015. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit told the High Court of Justice Tuesday that $300,000 which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received several years ago from his wealthy cousin Nathan Milikowsky is an illicit gift, reversing a position he voiced two years ago in light of new information about the business ties between the men.
Mandelblit previously said the transfer was legitimate but had failed to get an okay from the State Comptroller’s Permits Committee.
The about-face means Netanyahu will have to return $270,000 of the sum. The Permits Committee has previously ordered the premier to return $30,000 which weren’t used for any purpose, while the rest was used to fund the legal defense of Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister’s wife.