(January 9, 2026)

In this case, media consultant Tzachi Lieber is accused of acting as an intermediary for bribes between Michael Ganor, who was the representative of the German industrial engineering company ThyssenKrupp in Israel, and David Sharan, who was chief of staff to Prime Minister Netanyahu.

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The dilemma facing the system is now complex. On the one hand, allowing a new judge to render a verdict based solely on transcripts and submitted evidence is problematic, as a criminal verdict should be based on the judge‘s direct impression of the witnesses and the accused, and on their credibility.

On the other hand, having the witnesses, or some of them, re-tested by another judge is also problematic and would mean the case would drag on for years. As mentioned, this would also delay Lieber‘s required testimony in the main case against Sharan and Ganor.