James Packer’s gifts to Bibi aired in court

The corruption trial of Israeli Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday focused on luxury gifts the former PM had accepted from a Hollywood mogul and from Australian billionaire James Packer.

On her first day under cross-examination, a key witness who is a top aide to Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan denied claims by the defence that she had hidden evidence, that she had exaggerated gifts to the Netanyahu family, and that such presents were given out of genuine friendship rather than any quid pro quo.

After three days of testimony, Hadas Klein took the stand on Tuesday for cross-examination by Netanyahu’s defence attorney, Amit Hadad, in Case 1000, relating to the luxury gifts the former prime minister and his family received and any quid pro quos Netanyahu may have provided in return.

Netanyahu was not in court for the proceedings despite indicating earlier that he would attend. He has not attended the vast majority of hearings.

The indictment against Netanyahu in Case 1000 charges him with fraud and breach of trust for accepting luxury gifts from Milchan and Packer worth NIS 691,776 (about $A295,000) and for intervening on behalf of Milchan when he was seeking a US visa renewal and assisting him with regulatory benefits.

In an apparent attempt to frame the high-end gifts to the Netanyahus as an exchange between friends, Hadad presented correspondence between Klein and Packer, as well as between Klein and Sara Netanyahu.

In a screenshot of an email to Klein, Packer was said to have written, “Sister Sara gave me some wonderful presents I am so grateful Pls make sure she knows how touched, appreciative and moved that I am. They mean the world to me. I am so happy to be an Israeli resident. Jame [sic].”

When Hadad posited to Klein that messages shown to the court were an example of the warm friendship she had with Sara Netanyahu, the executive assistant said that being nice to people was part of her job.

“I did it happily because it’s my job and I do everything needed, including being nice. It’s part of my job – I cannot tell Arnon that I do not agree to do it, because then I would be sent home,” Klein said.

In response to the defence claim that she herself received expensive gifts from Packer and Milchan, Klein said, “I work for Milchan and Mr Packer, I don’t have to report any gifts … I’m not a public servant.” She told the court that Packer wanted to purchase expensive jewellery and a trip to the Maldives for her 50th birthday, and she declined.

Hadad accused Klein of exaggerating the amounts and frequency of gifts provided to the Netanyahus, but Klein claimed that she had actually played them down. “Many times it was two to three bottles of champagne, not cases of champagne,” Hadad said.

In a heated exchange, Klein pushed back against Hadad’s claim that she had deliberately tried to hide phone evidence and said that Packer had thrown the devices in a swimming pool due to his “fears”.

“Your whole phone broke, everything’s gone?” Hadad asked.

“I answered and I’m not lying,” Klein responded. “I walk around with two cellphones that I use. During one of James Packer’s episodes we would buy iPads every two days because of his fears. He was sure there were all sorts of things and he would throw them in the pool.” Klein was apparently referring to Packer’s widely documented mental health struggles.

“I will not let you say I threw them in the pool or did anything. I will not let you say that. You defamed me. I never threw them away or destroyed them. When you buy a new phone, you don’t keep using the old one,” Klein said.

TIMES OF ISRAEL