WorldThe Age

James Packer pays $1.8m to law firm also defending Netanyahu’s corruption charges

An investigation has found Australian billionaire James Packer paid at least $1.78 million to the Tel Aviv law firm defending Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption case.

An investigation on the eve of seismic Israeli elections has uncovered a money trail involving monthly $US50,000 wire transfers.

The Long Sip
What happened

James Packer has paid at least US$1.25 million to the Israeli law firm defending Benjamin Netanyahu, via monthly US$50,000 wire transfers over the past two years.

The detail

The payments began in September 2024 from a Citibank account held by Packer's company Consolidated Press International to Netanyahu's defence firm Hadad Roth Shenhar.

What it means

A source says the payments should be urgently investigated as they could breach Israeli laws on political support and potentially US financial laws, though Netanyahu's office dismissed the questions.

Full story at The Age

What readers are saying

BankstownHassan
Transparency International is right to demand independent scrutiny here. When millions flow from a former media mogul company to the exact defence team fighting corruption charges over luxury gifts, it undermines public trust. The timing on the eve of the Israeli election makes this even more critical to investigate.
boris57
Why has Consolidated Press International continued sending fifty thousand dollars monthly through Citibank since September 2024?
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