In another episode from the judiciary system in Chelm, former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak, who is the man behind the unchecked powers of the Israeli judiciary system, claimed on Sunday that Israel is on a slippery slope toward becoming a “dictatorship.”

He also made a veiled threat toward Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, saying that soon it will be “too late for a plea deal, when even I will think it’s too late.” His remark comes after earthshaking developments in the trial, with the cases against the prime minister continuing to collapse.

Barak has previously made behind-the-scenes efforts to end Netanyahu’s trial and reach a plea deal. However, Barak’s demands (that the plea include a charge of moral turpitude and that Netanyahu retire from politics) are especially absurd as the cases fall apart one by one, and top investigators are even arrested.

Most recently, the testimony of Lt. Col. (res.) Tsahi Habkin, currently underway, has sparked major public uproar in Israel.

Just last week, Habkin testified that the highest-ranking police investigators assigned to the cases forged, lied, tampered with evidence, perjured themselves, and committed a long list of extremely serious criminal offenses.

Habkin testified that then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit authorized only one specific investigative action regarding billionaire James Packer and Yair Netanyahu, but the police investigators expanded the investigation on their own—without legal approval.

In addition, a senior police officer (with the rank of Assistant Commissioner) who led the investigations against Netanyahu allegedly instructed investigators to obstruct the investigation.

Channel 14 journalist Yinon Magal provided a transcript of parts of Habkin’s testimony, entitled “The Comedy Of The Netanyahu Trial.”

Part I:

Investigator Habkin admits: “We didn’t investigate ‘irregular responsiveness’—I don’t even know what that is.”

Netanyahu’s lawyer. Adv. Amit Hadad: Confirm for me that the basis of the case was that Netanyahu received favorable coverage from the Walla news site.

Habkin: Yes, we investigated favorable coverage.

Hadad: Only favorable coverage?

Habkin: Yes.

Hadad: And did you investigate “irregular responsiveness”?

Habkin: What is ‘irregular responsiveness’?

Hadad: You never investigated irregular responsiveness?

Habkin: I don’t know what that is. Irregular responsiveness has to be measured against something.

Hadad: Confirm for me that you never investigated and never attempted to establish a basis of comparison—not against other channels, not against other politicians?

Habkin: Never.

Part II:

Habkin admits, “We never examined the 315 incidents listed in the indictment. We didn’t investigate them in real time, and I was completely unaware of them during the investigation.”

Hadad: In your summary, you didn’t include any of the 315 incidents that constitute the alleged bribe?

Habkin: Correct.

Hadad: Not even 100 incidents?

Habkin: Around 10–15 cases.

Hadad: You never investigated 315 cases?

Habkin: Correct.

Hadad: I’m saying that the Prime Minister was never presented with 315 cases, nor with 15. We counted 10 cases. Why didn’t you present the Prime Minister with 315?

Habkin: Because I didn’t know about the 315 in real time. We never examined the 315 incidents in the indictment. We didn’t investigate them in real time, and I was completely unaware of them during the investigation.”

Hadad: You weren’t aware of them, and you encountered them for the first time when the indictment was filed?

And this is the trial of a prime minister.

Is it any wonder that Aharon Barak is desperate for a plea deal?

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)