Israel’s Netanyahu seeks another delay in corruption trial
Lawyers for the prime minister say the latest coronavirus lockdown in Israel has left them unable to prepare for next week's hearing.
Citing a surge in coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s defense team has asked the court to delay an upcoming hearing in his corruption trial by one month.
On Jan. 13, Netanyahu is scheduled appear in court for the latest hearing in his trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The state prosecution says Netanyahu — Israel’s first sitting prime minister to be tried in court — accepted lavish gifts from wealthy businessmen and offered regulatory bribes in exchange for favorable media coverage.
Earlier this week, prosecutors filed an amended indictment detailing the number of times Netanyahu, his family members or their representatives are alleged to have made editorial requests to Israeli news site Walla and its owner.
Lawyers for the prime minister say they won’t have enough time to review the revised indictment before next week’s hearing, in part due to the latest coronavirus restrictions. After a partial lockdown imposed on Dec. 27 failed to curb a massive outbreak, Israel announced yesterday that it would mandate a two-week nationwide closure beginning Thursday.
