February 8, 2021
1 min read

Netanyahu pleads not guilty as trial resumes

Wearing a black mask, Netanyahu appeared in front of a three-judge panel at the Jerusalem District Court to officially deny the allegations against him…reports Asian Lite News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded not guilty at the resumption of his corruption trial in Jerusalem on Monday.

Wearing a black mask, Netanyahu appeared in front of a three-judge panel at the Jerusalem District Court to officially deny the allegations against him, the Xinhua news agency reported.

“I confirm the written answer submitted in my name,” Netanyahu said, referring to a document submitted by his lawyers in which they rejected the charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

He left after about 20 minutes without providing an explanation, while his lawyers continued to argue on his behalf. The Hebrew-language Ha’aretz newspaper reported that the judges approved his departure.

His lawyers, Boaz Ben Zur and Amit Hadad, argued that constitutional procedures had been breached. The prosecution rejected the allegation and said the opening of the investigation was approved by Attorney General Avihai Mandelblit.

Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister stands to trial over corruption charges in three separate cases. According to his indictment, he accepted luxurious gifts from wealthy friends and offered regulatory benefits to media tycoons in return for favorable media coverage.

The 71-year-old leader has repeatedly that the allegations are part of “a witch hunt” orchestrated by the “leftist” media.

Netanyahu is the first serving prime minister to stand to trial in Israel.

On March 23, Israel will hold its fourth general elections in two years. Netanyahu is handling his trial while leading the struggle to curb the coronavirus spread and the ensuing economic crisis. He is facing weekly demonstrations throughout Israel calling him to resign.

Also read:Israel begins easing lockdown curbs

Previous Story

Report on Xinjiang reveals China’s dark side

Next Story

Argentina’s 1st cases of Brazilian Covid variants detected

Latest from -Top News

Canada, US back in trade war?

U.S. President Donald Trump said that all ongoing trade talks with Canada will be terminated, with new tariffs possibly on the horizon. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has described trade negotiations with

Supreme Court curbs judges’ powers to block Trump

The US Supreme Court has ruled that federal district judges do not have the authority to issue nationwide injunctions against President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting birthright citizenship, handing the administration a

Rubio to host Quad partners in Washington

The July 1 meeting comes amid growing complexity in intra-Quad relations….reports Asian Lite News The United States will host a high-level Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting on July 1 in Washington, D.C., as

US to slash funding for global war crimes probes

The recommendation, made quietly on Wednesday, includes terminating support for projects in Iraq, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Gambia….reports Asian Lite News The Trump administration is pushing to drastically reduce US government

UAE credit soars to the top

S&P Global, Moody’s Investors Service, and Fitch Ratings — have all assigned strong sovereign credit ratings to the UAE In a strong show of confidence in the United Arab Emirates’ economic resilience
Go toTop