Netanyahu again before the court for corruption

2023-12-04 20:09:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu remains accused of corruption and bribery. According to the media, the judicial process resumed today after a break.

The corruption trial against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will continue according to media reports. The trial will continue in a Jerusalem district court, the Times of Israel reported. The trial - like all non-emergency court proceedings - was temporarily suspended following the attack carried out by the Islamist militant group Hamas in Israel on October 7. However, the relevant order expired last week. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu may be summoned to court within a few months.

Netanyahu is officially accused of corruption

The corruption trial against the 74-year-old has been going on for more than three years. He is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, among others. The head of the Israeli government is accused of giving favors to the telecommunications giant Bezeq when he was Minister of Communications. In return, according to the allegations, the Walla group's media reported favorably on Netanyahu.

He is also accused of offering to harm the newspaper's critical editor Arnon Moses in exchange for favorable coverage in his rival paper. Netanyahu is also accused of accepting lavish gifts worth about 700,000 shekels (about 174,000 euros) from billionaire friends, including jewelry, cigars and champagne. In exchange for the gifts, Netanyahu campaigned for a law that would have saved Israeli Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan millions in taxes, according to the indictment.

Criticism of resuming the trial in the middle of the war

Netanyahu has always denied all accusations in the past and has spoken of a "witch hunt". Politicians close to him criticized the resumption of the trial in the middle of the war. Due to the call-up of reservists, it is likely that fewer witnesses and lawyers will attend the hearings./ DW