Australian gaming billionaire James Packer has emerged as a pivotal witness in Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial, facing questions over hundreds of thousands of dollars in luxury gifts provided to Israel’s prime minister.
SBS News Top Stories reported that the former Crown Resorts executive is expected to testify regarding his relationship with Mr Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, dating back more than a decade. The proceedings form part of what Israeli state prosecutors designate as Case 1000, a key pillar of the broader judicial proceedings examining whether the veteran prime minister traded political favours for illicit gifts.
Cigars, pink champagne and Case 1000
Prosecutors allege that Mr Packer, alongside Israeli-born Hollywood film producer Arnon Milchan, supplied the Netanyahu household with regular consignments of premium Cuban cigars, vintage pink champagne and designer jewellery. The total value of the consignments is estimated by authorities to reach hundreds of thousands of Australian dollars.
While Mr Milchan previously provided testimony via a video link from the United Kingdom, Mr Packer’s first-hand account has been long sought by the Jerusalem District Court to establish the exact nature of the supply chain. Mr Packer himself faces no criminal charges or accusations of wrongdoing under Israeli law. Investigators instead view him as an essential witness to determine whether the gifts were genuine social tokens between personal acquaintances or systematic demands coordinated by the prime minister’s household.
Hollywood connections and residency bids
The ties between the Australian magnate and the Israeli leader were established in the early 2010s after Mr Milchan introduced Mr Packer to Mr Netanyahu’s inner circle. Drawn to Israel’s burgeoning technology and defence sectors, Mr Packer subsequently purchased a high-end property in the exclusive coastal enclave of Caesarea, situated directly next door to Mr Netanyahu’s private family villa.
During that period, Mr Packer explored securing official residency status in Israel, which would have granted substantial tax concessions available to high-net-worth foreign investors. State investigators have scrutinised whether Mr Netanyahu attempted to assist the Australian billionaire with visa and taxation matters, although both men have consistently maintained that their interactions were rooted strictly in personal friendship rather than commercial compromise.
A complex legal reckoning for Israel's leader
Mr Netanyahu, who remains on trial over charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery across three separate investigations, has strenuously denied all allegations. The prime minister has dismissed the judicial process as an unfounded, politically motivated campaign orchestrated by political opponents, police and media organisations.
Under Israeli public service regulations, elected officials are barred from accepting substantial gifts without explicit clearance from parliamentary ethics panels. In Case 1000, prosecutors contend that the scale and regularity of the deliveries breached the threshold of acceptable hospitality, constituting a material conflict of interest that compromised public integrity.
Packer’s shifting focus after Crown
For Mr Packer, the appearance as a witness marks an unwelcome return to global headlines after years of retreating from public commercial life. Following the sale of his controlling interest in Crown Resorts to US private equity firm Blackstone for approximately $3.3 billion, the 56-year-old has kept a low profile overseas, prioritising his health.
Legal authorities have negotiated the precise logistics of Mr Packer's evidence for months, balancing health considerations with cross-border witness protocols. His impending evidence guarantees that one of Australia's most prominent corporate figures will play a defining role in the legal fate of the Middle East’s longest-serving prime minister.
