New schedule in Netanyahu corruption trial
Jerusalem – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial in the corruption case will continue in January, after which evidentiary hearings must be held three times a week, a Jerusalem court ruled on Sunday.
It was not immediately clear that Netanyahu would have to attend all hearings, although some Israeli media reported that he would. Regardless, the grueling court schedule keeps Netanyahu’s legal woes firmly in the national consciousness and conversation — and continues to raise questions about whether he can continue to serve on trial.
The court’s ruling came after the second hearing of the trial, which set the pace for the remainder of the case. After a two-month delay due to concerns about the coronavirus, the trial began in May. The sequel comes as Netanyahu faces growing discontent over his handling of the health crisis and its economic consequences.
Netanyahu has been accused of fraud, breach of trust and bribery in a series of scandals in which he is alleged to have received lavish gifts from his billionaire friends and sought regulatory favors with media moguls to provide more comfortable coverage for himself and his family. Netanyahu denies wrongdoing. , which portrays the allegations as a media-orchestrated witch hunt by a biased law enforcement system.
At the first hearing in May, just before he was brought before the judges, Netanyahu took the podium in the courthouse and, together with his party colleagues, attacked the country’s legal institutions with an angry tirade.
Netanyahu did not appear at Sunday’s hearing. According to Israeli media, the judge decided that the trial will begin in January and evidence will be held three times a week. The sequel comes as Netanyahu faces growing discontent over his handling of the health crisis and its economic consequences. After a two-month delay due to concerns about the coronavirus, the trial began in May.
