Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty as his trial on corruption charges resumed in a Jerusalem courtroom just weeks before national elections in which he hopes to extend his 12-year rule.
Netanyahu was indicted last year for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. In recent months, Israelis have held weekly protests calling on him to resign over the charges and criticising his government’s response to the coronavirus crisis.
Protesters gathered outside the courthouse could be heard inside the room where the hearing was being held on Monday.
He stands accused of accepting lavish gifts from wealthy friends and offering to grant favours to powerful media moguls in exchange for favourable coverage of him and his family.
Israel’s longest-serving leader is also the first sitting prime minister to go on trial for corruption.
Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the charges against him as a witch hunt orchestrated by biased law enforcement and media.
At Monday’s hearing in a heavily-guarded Jerusalem District Court, Netanyahu’s lawyers submitted a written response pleading not guilty, arguing the attorney-general had not properly approved the investigations in writing.
Read the article in The Canberra Times (AAP).