Packer Sent $1.25M to Netanyahu's Law Firm

The law firm representing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received at least $1.25 million from Australian billionaire James Packer, according to a report published Monday.

The Sydney Morning Herald states that the funds moved in monthly wire transfers of $50,000 each over a two-year period starting September 23, 2024. The report identifies the source as a Citibank account belonging to Consolidated Press International, Packer's company. The destination was an account at Bank Mizrahi Tefahot held by the Tel Aviv firm Hadad Roth Shenhar.

A source familiar with Packer's finances told the newspaper that the payments covered work performed by his firm, such as identifying investment opportunities in Israel. The source said the transfers had no connection to the prime minister's criminal trial. The Herald noted that it requested evidence of such deals but received no reply from Packer or his company before publication.

The report appears on the eve of Israeli elections, with Netanyahu's trial still ongoing at the Jerusalem District Court. A spokesman for the prime minister responded to the newspaper's inquiries by saying, "I couldn't give a monkey's about your questions. We are very busy. We have an election on right now." Packer did not deny the payments when approached by the paper, and defense attorney Amit Hadad did not answer questions from reporters.

Packer is a named individual in Case 1000 of Netanyahu's trial, where the prime minister faces charges of fraud and breach of trust. Prosecutors allege that Packer provided gifts to Netanyahu and his wife, primarily cigars and champagne, between 2014 and 2016. The indictment values these specific gifts at 229,174 new Israeli shekels, broken down into 145,577 shekels for cigars and 83,597 shekels for champagne.

The trial, which began in May 2020, encompasses three separate cases involving alleged dealings with media owners and business figures. In addition to the fraud and breach-of-trust charges in all three cases, Netanyahu faces a bribery charge in Case 4000 related to alleged benefits for the Bezeq corporation. He denies all wrongdoing.