Netanyahu's Trial Lawyers Collect $1.25M From Packer's Firm

The defense team for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received at least 1.25 million US dollars from Australian billionaire James Packer, according to a report released on Monday. The findings come from The Sydney Morning Herald, which detailed the financial transactions in a story published on October 26. The report has not yet been independently verified by other outlets or the parties involved.

The newspaper states that the funds moved through monthly wire transfers of 50,000 US dollars each. These transactions occurred over the past two years, starting on September 23, 2024. The money originated from a Citibank account belonging to Packer's company, Consolidated Press International. The destination was an account at Bank Mizrahi Tefahot held by the Tel Aviv law firm Hadad Roth Shenhar.

A source familiar with Packer's financial affairs told the Herald that the transfers compensated work performed by the billionaire. This work included identifying investment deals within Israel. The source claimed the payments had no connection to the prime minister's criminal trial. The newspaper noted that it subsequently requested evidence of these specific deals or work. Neither Packer nor his company had responded to those requests by the time the article was published.

Packer declined to provide a comment when approached by the outlet. The paper reported that he did not deny the existence of the payments. Amit Hadad, who serves as Netanyahu's defense attorney, did not answer the newspaper's questions. He also refused to address the matter during proceedings at the Jerusalem District Court, where evidentiary-stage hearings are currently taking place.

A spokesman for Netanyahu responded to the inquiry with a terse message. He stated, "I couldn't give a monkey's about your questions. We are very busy. We have an election on right now." The report emerged on the eve of Israeli elections, while the prime minister's trial remains under way.

Packer is linked to Case 1000, a portion of the trial in which Netanyahu is accused of accepting gifts. The other accused gift-giver in that case is businessman Arnon Milchan. Netanyahu faces charges of fraud and breach of trust in this specific case. Packer is not a defendant in the trial.

Prosecutors argue that the allegations extend beyond simple gift receipt. They contend that presents were supplied regularly, sometimes in response to requests, creating a "supply line." The indictment states that gifts to Netanyahu and his wife totaled approximately 690,000 Israeli shekels. These items, mainly cigars and champagne, were provided between October 2011 and December 2016. The portion attributed to Packer covers the period from 2014 to 2016. The indictment values Packer's gifts at 229,174 Israeli shekels, broken down into 145,577 shekels in cigars and 83,597 shekels in champagne. Hadas Klein, a former employee of both Milchan and Packer, served as a key witness regarding the delivery of these items.