Benjamin Netanyahu Corruption Trial Re-Commences

[C0RI0LANUS]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exploded with anger at prosecutors while giving testimony at his criminal trial on Monday, accusing them of “setting up” the indictment against him, citing what he alleged were spurious charges that he had an illicit quid pro quo agreement with the owner of the Walla news website, Shaul Elovitch.

A furious Netanyahu said it was “unbelievable” that he was indicted over charges he claimed had no merit. “For eight years, you’ve been dragging me through this hell. For what? Have you no shame?” he demanded of prosecutors sitting in the courtroom.

Netanyahu was testifying for only the eighth time since he began giving testimony back on December 10 last year, due to multiple postponements brought on by scheduling issues, his recent prostate removal surgery, and his visit to the US last week.

Netanyahu arrives in the Tel Aviv District Court to give testimony in his criminal trial, 10 Feb 2025. (Photo: Tomer Appelbaum / pool)

In 2019, Netanyahu entered his plea at the hearing which had been previously postponed because of the COVID pandemic. He is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases known as 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000.

Case 1,000 - Fraud and breach of trust: he is accused of receiving gifts - mainly cigars and bottles of champagne - from powerful businessmen in exchange for favors.

Case 2,000 - Fraud and breach of trust: Netanyahu is accused of offering to help improve the circulation of Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot in exchange for positive coverage.

Case 4,000 - Bribery, fraud and breach of trust: as PM and minister of communications at the time of the alleged offence, Mr Netanyahu is accused of promoting regulatory decisions favorable to the controlling shareholder in the Bezeq telecom giant, Shaul Elovitch, in exchange for positive coverage by Mr Elovitch's Walla news site.


Billionaire Arnon Milchan testified that his gifts of pink champagne and cigars to Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife may have been "excessive." (Photo: Reuters)


Gali Baharav-Miara is Israel's first female Attorney-General prosecuting Benjamin Netanyahu.

When the trial finally recommenced, allegations of witness tampering emerged. Three senior aides to Netanyahu were indicted on charges of witness intimidation on Tuesday, for having sent a car with a megaphone to the home of a key witness in Netanyahu’s criminal trial in 2019 in order to harass him. The three aides indicted were Ofer Golan, who served as a spokesman for the Netanyahu family and the director of the Likud election campaign in 2019; Jonatan Urich, who served at the time as a strategic adviser and a senior official in Likud’s election campaign staff; and Yisrael Einhorn, who served as a Likud spokesman.

Sara Netanyahu was accused of intimidating witnesses and Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara ordered an investigation of her.


A poster depicting Sara Netanyahu, with a slogan in Hebrew which reads 'investigation now,' in front of the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on 11 Jan 2025. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Benjamin Netanyahu still has an ICC arrest warrant active for alleged war crimes against the Palestinians in Gaza and he may face an inquiry for his handling of the 7 Oct 2023 surprise attack by Hamas.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


Sources:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/have-you-no-shame-netanyahu-accuses-prosecutors-of-stitch-up-in-court-tirade/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Benjamin_Netanyahu

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-04-09/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-corruption-trial-shows-he-received-something-far-more-valuable-than-money/0000017f-edb5-d4cd-af7f-edfde8750000

Archived:

https://archive.is/mxw1x

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/3-senior-netanyahu-aides-indicted-for-witness-intimidation-in-pm-s-corruption-cases/ar-AA1yOLRP

https://www.timesofisrael.com/criminal-probe-launched-into-sara-netanyahu-over-allegations-of-witness-tampering/

https://www.icc-cpi.int/defendant/netanyahu

https://www.jpost.com/influencers-24/50jews-24/article-822480

https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2024/09/05/netanyahu-is-israels-curse/433174/

Archived:

https://archive.is/FuUE1


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-66035997