Netanyahu in court amid new claims of corruption
JERUSALEM — Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in court for the first time in over half a year on Tuesday as a onetime confidant prepared to take the stand against him in a high-profile corruption case.
But the long-awaited testimony was delayed until next week after a legal challenge from Netanyahu’s lawyers.
Nir Hefetz, a former Netanyahu aide, is a star prosecution witness in the case against Netanyahu, with his close proximity to Netanyahu during several years in office a key part of the evidence. Hefetz left a long career in journalism in 2009 to work as a spokesman for Netanyahu’s government, then in 2014 became the Netanyahu family’s spokesman and adviser.
Netanyahu’s lawyers immediately asked that Tuesday’s session be delayed following reports that another witness had come forward with new evidence alleging that Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, had accepted an expensive bracelet as a gift from two billionaire friends, Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer.
Netanyahu’s lawyers argued that the former prime minister and his wife were caught offguard by the allegations and had the right to study the evidence before Hefetz took the stand.
After a short recess, the court accepted the request and postponed Hefetz’s testimony until next Monday. Several dozen supporters waited for Netanyahu outside the building, with one man shouting at journalists, “We’ll throw you in the trash.”
Netanyahu has been accused of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases.