Australian Tycoon’s Firm Sent $1.25 Million to Netanyahu’s Defense Team

A financial report published Monday reveals that the legal team defending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has received at least $1.25 million from the firm of Australian billionaire James Packer. The funds arrived via monthly wire transfers of $50,000 each, a flow of cash that started on September 23, 2024, and continued for two years. The transfers moved from a Citibank account held by Packer’s company, Consolidated Press International, to an account at Bank Mizrahi Tefahot for the Tel Aviv law firm Hadad Roth Shenhar.

The payments occurred while Netanyahu’s criminal trial remained active in the Jerusalem District Court. The report, which has not yet been independently verified, notes that the money arrived during a period when evidentiary hearings were ongoing. Although the transfers were directed to the defense firm, the publication noted it could not confirm that Netanyahu personally benefited from the funds.

A source familiar with Packer’s finances told the newspaper that the money compensated work performed by Packer, such as sourcing investment opportunities in Israel. According to the source, the payments were unrelated to the prime minister’s legal battle. The newspaper requested documentation of these business deals or services but said it had received no response from Packer or his company before publishing the story.

Packer declined to comment when contacted directly, though the report stated he did not deny the payments occurred. Amit Hadad, Netanyahu’s lead defense attorney, did not answer questions from the newspaper. He also refused to address the matter during his appearances at the Jerusalem District Court.

A spokesman for Netanyahu responded to the inquiry with a brief, dismissive statement. "I couldn’t give a monkey’s about your questions. We are very busy. We have an election on right now," the spokesman said. The timing of the report coincides with the approach of Israeli elections, a period of high political tension for the prime minister.

Packer’s name is already central to one of the three cases against Netanyahu. In Case 1000, prosecutors accuse the prime minister of accepting gifts from Packer and businessman Arnon Milchan. The indictment alleges that these gifts, primarily cigars and champagne, created a "supply line" that influenced Netanyahu’s public actions. Packer is not a defendant in the trial, but his relationship with the prime minister is a key element of the fraud and breach of trust charges.

The indictment details that gifts from Packer totaled 229,174 new Israeli shekels between 2014 and 2016. This sum included 145,577 shekels in cigars and 83,597 shekels in champagne. Hadas Klein, a former employee of both Packer and Milchan, served as a key witness regarding the delivery of these items. The trial, which began in May 2020, also includes charges related to media dealings and a bribery allegation involving Bezeq.