Israeli Opposition Leader Testifies in Corruption Trial Against Netanyahu
Former Israeli Prime Minister and current leader of the opposition Yesh Atid (Future) Party, Yair Lapid, appeared before court to testify as a witness in the corruption cases against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Lapid is accused of fraud and abuse of power in relation to Netanyahu receiving luxury gifts worth 700,000 shekels from wealthy people, including Israeli Hollywood filmmaker Arnon Milchan, between 2007 and 2016. Lapid, who was Finance Minister at the time, is expected to testify about the allegations between Milchan and Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has been under investigation for several corruption cases since 2016 and is the first Israeli Prime Minister to be tried while in office. Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit demanded that Netanyahu be prosecuted in three separate corruption cases on charges of bribery and abuse of office for personal purposes. The first hearing of Netanyahu’s trial was held at the Jerusalem District Court on May 24, 2020.
One of the main allegations against Netanyahu is that he provided financial concessions worth $276 million to the company in exchange for news in favor of the Netanyahu family on the website called “Walla News”, which is part of the telecommunication company “Bezeq” owned by Shaul Elovitch. Netanyahu is also accused of unlawfully conducting government policy in favor of Elovitch by replacing the Director General of the Ministry of Communications with someone who also ran his election campaign. In another case, Netanyahu is alleged to have received $283,000 worth of gifts from Israeli Hollywood filmmaker Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer in exchange for political benefits.
Netanyahu insists on his innocence and does not accept the allegations against him. If found guilty at the end of the trial, he could face up to 10 years in prison. The trial is ongoing, and the next hearing is scheduled for early July 2021.
