Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in court in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to testify for the first time in his corruption case.
Netanyahu, who has repeatedly sought to delay his appearance in court, is the first sitting prime minister of Israel to face a criminal trial.
He faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of public trust in three separate cases.
At Tuesday’s hearing, the Israeli premier is expected to take the witness stand for the first time, responding to the allegations and testimonies made against him, including from former close aides.
Several people, including anti-Netanyahu protesters and his supporters, gathered outside the court, while some right-wing lawmakers attended the session, which was held in an underground chamber for security reasons.
An AFP journalist outside the court reported that the prime minister’s supporters chanted “Netanyahu, the people support you”, while protesters who have been rallying against him for months chanted “Bibi to prison”.
“I have waited eight years for this moment, to say the truth as I remember it, which is important for justice,” said Netanyahu, who was wearing a blue suit and white shirt, with a flag of Israel on one lapel and the yellow ribbon symbol of Israel’s hostages in Gaza on the other.
“But I am also a prime minister. I am leading the country through a seven-front war. And I think the two can be done in parallel,” he said.
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He called the charges against him “an ocean of absurdness” and promised his version would cut through the prosecution’s case.
Netanyahu, who is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases, is expected in the first instance to be questioned by his defence lawyer for several days.
The 75-year-old is accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of cigars and champagne from a billionaire Hollywood producer in exchange for assisting him with personal and business interests, and of promoting advantageous regulation for media moguls in exchange for favourable coverage of himself and his family.
He denies wrongdoing, saying the charges are a “witch-hunt” orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased legal system out to topple his lengthy rule.
Asked by his lawyer Amit Hadad on Tuesday about the accusation that he had “indulgently” “exploited his position to receive benefits worth hundreds of thousands of shekels” Netanyahu said the allegations were “total lies”.
“I work 17, 18 hours a day,” he said. “Everyone who knows me knows this. That’s how I work. I eat my meals at my work table, it’s not cordon bleu, it’s not waiters coming with white gloves.”
Netanyahu’s testimony follows evidence from 120 prosecution witnesses in three cases known popularly as Cases 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000. Netanyahu had arrived in court earlier appearing serious and somewhat haggard, shaking hands with the ministers and MPs who had come to support him as he arrived.
AFP.com
