Israel's A-G may close plea deal with Likud MK Haim Katz

• Published date: 30 September 2021
• Author: YONAH JEREMY BOB
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

In October 2020, Mandelblit announced that he was leaning toward indicting senior Likud MK and former minister Katz for NIS 2.2 million in tax fraud.

In February 2020, under the prior government, the Knesset voted to grant Katz immunity from a prior indictment that Mandelblit had decided to file.

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If no deal is reached, Mandelblit has also told the court that he may try once again to remove Katz's immunity regarding the prior indictment with the new Knesset as well as to indictment under the new tax fraud charges at the same time.

Previously, Mandelblit had sought an extension for plea deal negotiations from July until late September.

The shorter three-week extension request and the language Mandelblit used to describe the negotiations suggested that a deal could be finalized soon.

According to a previous Justice Ministry statement, between 2007-2018, Katz earned significant rental income from seven real estate properties in his name and in the name of certain family members.

The statement said that with regard to some of the properties, Katz had failed to report his rental income entirely to tax authorities, while with others he had only reported partially and significantly late.

Lawyer Navit Negev said that the charges were administrative and not criminal and that the only reason the allegations had been pushed into the criminal sphere was because of Katz's political status.

She added that the allegations would be rebutted and the pre-indictment hearing, noting that even the ministry's statement had recognized that some of the properties were not in Katz's name.

In August 2019, Mandelblit announced he would file the earlier and even more serious indictment against Katz for fraud and...