Special Courtroom Being Constructed as Netanyahu's Historic Trial Moves Forward
The next stages of a historic trial are scheduled to take place at an expanded courtroom in Jerusalem District Court beginning early in 2021.
The corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu is the first time in Israeli history that a sitting prime minister has been indicted, according to The Times of Israel.
Netanyahu’s trial — on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes — officially opened in May but has had just one preliminary hearing thus far.
Evidentiary proceedings were supposed to begin in January but now are scheduled to start in February, with the court promising to release details regarding upcoming trial dates at a later time.
Given the uniqueness of the situation, a standard courthouse isn’t adequate for the large crowds expected, the Times reported.
As construction work begins in East Jerusalem — with two existing, smaller courtrooms being joined and remodeled — Netanyahu’s defense attorneys have been unsuccessful at having the charges against the prime minister thrown out.
The Times of Israel shared a 200-page request that Netanyahu’s lawyers submitted to the court, stating the evidence against their client was obtained illegitimately, which should prevent the case from moving forward.
Defense attorneys also accused Israeli law enforcement of “invent[ing]” the charges against Netanyahu, and they claim the police’s failure to send them the full case files has prevented them from properly preparing their defense.
The prosecution, however, rejected the defense’s request for the charges to be thrown out, with the State Attorney’s Office insisting “the investigation as a whole was conducted in a fair and routine manner.”
According to The Times of Israel, Netanyahu is accused of receiving $200,000 worth of bribes, which were said to have come in the form of expensive gifts from Israeli movie mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian businessman James Packer.
The gifts allegedly included champagne and Cuban cigars.
Another allegation involves a deal between Netanyahu and Yediot Ahronot newspaper publisher Arnon Mozes.
According to The New Yorker in 2017, Netanyahu supposedly agreed to pass a law that would interfere with the circulation of a competitive newspaper, the Israel Hayom, if the Yediot Ahronot published more positive coverage of the Israeli prime minister.
Netanyahu has denied all of the charges.
“I’ve given my life for this country, I fought for this country, was wounded for this country,” Netanyahu said last month in televised remarks, according to the Times.
“I deeply respect the justice system in Israel. But you have to be blind not to see that something bad is happening to police investigators and the prosecution. We’re seeing an attempted coup by the police with false accusations.”
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