JERUSALEM (ISRAEL) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s graft trial started on Sunday after two months even as rising protests over allegations of corruption and handling of the coronavirus crisis.
Netanyahu, the first Israeli prime minister to go on trial while serving, did not attend the event, what a prosecution’s spokesman had claimed that it would be a technical discussion.
He denied charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, while making his presence felt at the session in Jerusalem District Court, in May at the opening of the trial.
Netanyahu, 70, was accused in November in cases, which involved receiving gifts from millionaire friends and for allegedly getting regulatory favours for media tycoons in return for coverage.
Netanyahu also garnered attention for ordering restrictions that helped regularise Israel’s first wave of coronavirus infections.
On Saturday, demonstrators were warded off by police using water cannons around Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence.
Bribery charges involve a sentence that can go up to 10 years in jail or may be imposed with a fine, however, fraud and breach of trust carry a prison sentence of up to three years.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.