Court date set for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
The Israeli press has published a report regarding the date when the trial concerning corruption allegations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will resume.
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According to a report by the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli Supreme Court has announced that the trial of Netanyahu on charges of "bribery, breach of trust, and abuse of office for personal gain" will resume starting in February.
It was stated that the court has decided to convene four days a week for the hearings in the case against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
The corruption trial of Netanyahu had been postponed along with all other non-urgent cases following the Israeli military's launch of intensive attacks on the Gaza Strip on October 7.
The case was resumed at the beginning of December, and the court had continued to hear testimony regarding a series of charges against Netanyahu.
Netanyahu, who is exempt from attending the hearings, may also be required to testify within this scope.
ABOUT THE CORRUPTION CASES
Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit requested on November 21, 2019, that a case be opened against Netanyahu in three separate corruption files on charges of "bribery, breach of trust, and abuse of office for personal gain."
Netanyahu, who went down in history as the first Israeli Prime Minister to be tried while in office, had his first hearing at the Jerusalem District Court on May 24, 2020.
Within the scope of the corruption investigation, the accusation of providing 276 million dollars in financial concessions to the telecommunications company "Bezeq," owned by Shaul Elovitch, in exchange for favorable coverage of the Netanyahu family on the news website "Walla News," which is part of the company, stands out.
Among the charges directed at Netanyahu is the implementation of government policy unlawfully in favor of Shaul Elovitch by replacing the Director General of the Ministry of Communications, Avi Berger, with Shlomo Filber, who also managed his election campaigns.
In the file handled under bribery and abuse of office, it is alleged that he received 283 thousand dollars worth of champagne, cigars, jewelry, and plane tickets under the guise of gifts from Israeli Hollywood film producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer.
The indictment states that there is sufficient evidence that the gifts were given in exchange for providing political benefits to Netanyahu.
Furthermore, it is alleged that Netanyahu and Arnon Mozes, the owner of the Yediot Ahronot newspaper, reached an agreement for the government to pass legal regulations aimed at reducing the competitive power of the rival newspaper Israel Hayom in exchange for the newspaper's editorial policy favoring the Likud leader.
Netanyahu, who could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty at the end of the trial, insists on his innocence regarding the charges in the three separate cases and denies the allegations.