Tel Aviv, Dec. 10, (dpa/GNA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand on Tuesday for the first time since his corruption trial began more than four years ago, rejecting what he called the “absurd” accusations against him.
The session with three judges was held in an underground hall of the Tel Aviv District Court, under the direction of Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman, after it was moved from Jerusalem for security reasons.
Netanyahu is charged with fraud, embezzlement and bribery. The accusations against him include that he granted the telecom giant Bezeq privileges when he was communications minister. He is also said to have accepted luxury gifts from billionaire friends.
The prime minister has always rejected the accusations. At a press conference on Monday evening, Netanyahu called the trial “a cruel witch hunt.”
“Eight years I’ve been waiting to present the truth. Eight years I’ve been waiting to puncture for good the wild and ridiculous accusations against me,” he said.
Demonstrators gathered outside the court to protest the prime minister and his policies. “There is no immunity against corruption,” one of the protester’s signs read.
The court rejected a request by Netanyahu’s lawyers for a longer postponement of the testimony because of the war in the region.
Instead, the judge allowed Netanyahu to receive notes with important information on political developments during the sessions.
A total of 12 ministers in Netanyahu’s Cabinet had also demanded a postponement of the prime minister’s testimony. Several ministers were present in the courtroom on Tuesday.
It is the first time that an incumbent prime minister has stood trial in Israel. The court case could last for several more years.
Netanyahu is expected to testify three times a week for about two months.
GNA