Retired judge: "Judges feel there is an evidentiary gap, the doubt is glaring""

May 26, 2022   

Netanyahu's trial: Attorney Moshe Gilad, a retired judge in the District Court, spoke this morning (Thursday) with Nissim Mashal and Guy Peleg about the latest developments in the hearings in Case 4000. In an interview on 103FM, he addressed the statement made by the judges, about the problematic nature of their statements regarding the prosecutor's request to amend the indictment against the former prime minister. "The meaning of this is simple - the judges feel that an evidentiary gap has been created. In the current situation, they probably feel that the doubt is glaring and it will be difficult for them to decide," he explained. "There are judges who will say, 'There is no doubt, we don't care, we have to win,' but they don't." He was asked whether this statement shows that Case 4000 received a very significant blow - and replied: "Indeed, it does. In a normal case, and in the past, no judge would say anything. It is doubtful that it is decisive, 'You didn't bring it - thank you very much,' and if you correct it in the middle - there is a problem. They say, 'Come on, do you have a different opinion, did you have a big mistake? Try to fix it.'" The lawyer continued by comparing the incident to a ceramic jug - which broke: "You can glue it - but the cracks remain.". Case 4000 in collapse? ""I wouldn't use such pompous words as collapse. Case 4000 is approaching the stage where the judges will say, 'We have doubts that the state has proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and that's enough.' The very fact that at such a late stage the State of Israel is required to amend an indictment of a prime minister at this stage, in my opinion, proves that at this point - their situation is weak. Even if they are amended - the cracks remain." He added: "I was of the opinion that the strongest clause the state has is the story with Milchan. In my opinion, the other stories with Mozes and Elovitch are problematic from the start. It's not easy to convict a prime minister, everyone is equal before the law.".