Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been charged with corruption by Israeli prosecutors in a long-awaited decision that threatens to end the four-time premier’s political career.

A spokesman for attorney-general Avichai Mandelblit said Mr Netanyahu had been charged with one count of bribery, and three counts of fraud and breach of trust. The charges follow three long-running probes into his relationships with wealthy friends and regulatory favours he allegedly promised to media barons to secure favourable coverage for himself and his wife.

Mr Netanyahu has always denied the charges and the prospect of his removal from power and possible jailing has energised his rightwing base, who have stood by him during three years of lurid revelations of expensive cigars, champagne and secretly taped negotiations.