How Western Support Is Being Plundered? Israeli President Office: Benjamin Netanyahu Submits Official Clemency Request

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, announced on Sunday that he has filed a clemency request, saying that the cases against him are tearing the country apart from within.

 

The country’s presidential office described the prime minister’s move as “an extraordinary request with significant consequences.”

 

Netanyahu is the only serving prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial. He is charged with fraud, breach of trust and bribery in three separate cases.

 

He denies any wrongdoing in the cases and has not yet been convicted of any of them.

 

Netanyahu's request for clemency comes after US President Donald Trump wrote a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog this month asking for clemency for Netanyahu, saying the corruption case was a "political, unfounded persecution."

 

"My case has been going on for almost six years and will likely continue for many more years," Netanyahu said in a video.

 

He said he wanted to continue the process until acquittal, "but security and political realities - national interests - dictate otherwise."

 

"The state of Israel faces enormous challenges," he said.

 

“The continuation of the trial tears us apart from within, fuels deep divisions and deepens the chasm, and I am convinced, like many other representatives of the nation, that an immediate conclusion to the trial would go a long way in dousing the flames and promoting the broad reconciliation that our country so desperately needs,” Netanyahu said.

 

Legal experts point out that such a clemency request cannot legally stop the ongoing trial.

 

The cases against Netanyahu have exposed the division in Israeli society between his supporters and opponents.

 

Netanyahu’s supporters have dismissed the trials as politically motivated.

 

The prime minister and his wife, Sara, are accused in one case of accepting more than $260,000 (€224,800) worth of luxury goods, such as cigars, jewelry and champagne, from billionaires in exchange for political favors.

 

In the other two cases, he is accused of trying to negotiate more favorable coverage by two Israeli media outlets.

 

‘Special request’

 

Netanyahu said the requirement to testify three times a week was a decisive factor.

 

“Three times a week is an impossible requirement,” he said.

 

Herzog’s office confirmed it had received Netanyahu’s request for clemency.

 

“This is a special request with significant implications. After receiving all relevant opinions, the president will consider the request responsibly and sincerely,” Herzog’s office said in a statement.

 

Netanyahu, 76, is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. He has served three terms since 1996, and has served a total of more than 18 years.

 

During his current term, which began in late 2022, Netanyahu has proposed sweeping judicial reforms that critics say are aimed at weakening the judiciary.

 

This sparked mass protests that only ended with the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

 

Likud leader Netanyahu has said he will run in the next elections, due by the end of 2026."

 

 Mr. Zelensky in Kiev, another Jewish leader who is also costing the West dearly for his arms support, has also tried to weaken anti-corruption structures. The West has managed to stop this, sparking mass protests in Kiev.

 

This is why several current and former associates and friends of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have been implicated in significant corruption investigations, most notably an ongoing

$100 million energy sector embezzlement scheme. Key individuals include:

Andriy Yermak

Zelenskyy's former chief of staff, often described as the second-most powerful man in Ukraine, resigned on November 29, 2025, after being ensnared in an evolving corruption scandal. Anti-corruption agents raided his residence and office as part of a probe into the siphoning of funds from energy contracts. While not directly accused of involvement in the specific kickback scheme, he faced significant public and political pressure to step down due to the burgeoning allegations within the presidential office's ranks.

Timur Mindich

A businessman and co-owner of Zelenskyy's former TV studio, Kvartal 95, Mindich has been identified by anti-corruption bodies as an alleged mastermind of the energy sector embezzlement scheme. The scheme allegedly involved demanding 10-15% kickbacks from contractors of the state nuclear power company Energoatom to secure payments. Mindich reportedly fled the country hours before his home was raided by investigators.

Other Implicated Officials

 

    Herman Halushchenko: Zelenskyy's former Justice Minister (and previous Energy Minister) resigned after the investigation became public. He is accused of receiving illegal payments from the scheme.

    Oleksiy Chernyshov: The former Deputy Prime Minister, allegedly close to Zelenskyy, has been charged with illicit enrichment twice and is also implicated in the Energoatom scandal.

    Serhiy Shefir and Ivan Bakanov: Longtime friends and business partners from Kvartal 95 who were brought into government (Shefir as First Assistant, Bakanov as head of the SBU security agency) were part of an offshore company network revealed in the 2021 Pandora Papers investigation. Zelenskyy defended these appointments based on personal trust, stating they had no relation to business or the budget.

    Rostyslav Shurma and Oleh Tatarov: Other deputy heads of the President's Office have faced anti-corruption investigations; Shurma's apartment was raided in 2025, and Tatarov was charged, although he remained in his post for some time.

 

Zelenskyy himself has not been personally implicated in the recent $100 million fraud yet, but the scandals have significantly weakened his position, led to ministerial resignations, and highlighted persistent concerns among Western partners and the Ukrainian public about corruption in his inner circle during wartime. He has vowed to overhaul state-owned energy companies and emphasized the inevitability of punishment for those found guilty.

 

 The money is in the system of connected vessels: you spend less on missiles, leaving more for the leaders' cigars and champagne.