PM s trial resumes with returning witness saying he was threatened
Ilan Yeshua, ex-CEO of Walla! Communications, tells court he received unpleasant messages following his testimony a day earlier, where he claimed he was regularly told to cover the Netanyahu family favorably; PM s legal team tried to undermine testimony
Gilad Morag |
Published: 04.06.21 , 11:34
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s corruption trial resumed on Tuesday with a returning key witness for prosecution saying he received threats following his testimony a day earlier.
The start of the evidentiary phase of Netanyahu s corruption trial began on Monday, one year and four months after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust against him. He denies any wrongdoing.
Analysis: As the prime minister's corruption trial is getting underway in Jerusalem, the defendant is busy trying to find a way to persuade the president that he must form the next government one that will inoculate him against any unfavorable outcome
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a court hearing at the District Court in Jerusalem on February 8, 2021. Netanyahu is charged with fraud and breach of trust in three cases and bribery in one of them. (Reuven Kastro/POOL)
Prosecutors told the Jerusalem District Court on Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should attend the court hearings beginning next week in his corruption trial.
“The prosecution believes that there is a real reason for the defendant’s presence in the opening speech, which is the opening status of the entire prosecution case, both in terms of the defendant hearing the proceedings directly, and in terms of the perception of justice,” they said in a statement, noting that the decision was at the discretion of the court.
State Prosecution says PM must be present during opening remarks, which prosecutors say set the tone for the whole trial; Netanyahu's lawyers say they only requested for him to be absent from testimony of former Walla official