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Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand for the 14th time on Tuesday to knock down corruption allegations against him in a long-running trial.
He is the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant in the trial, which began on 24 May 2020 but was delayed due to the war between Israel and Hamas.
The testimony is a low point for Israel’s longest-serving leader, who also faces an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Netanyahu faces three separate cases of corruption that were filed in 2019, which include allegations of fraud, bribery and breach of trust.
In one, he is accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of cigars and champagne from a billionaire Hollywood producer in exchange for assistance with personal and business interests.
Netanyahu allegedly granted regulatory favors worth around €475,000 to Bezeq — a telecommunications company that owns the news website Walla.
In return, prosecutors allege he sought positive media coverage of himself and his wife Sara.
He is also accused of negotiating a deal with the owner of Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper for better coverage.
Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing and claimed the charges are a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased legal system out to topple his rule.
If found guilty, Netanyahu could face up to 10 years in prison as well as a fine for the bribery charges, and up to three years in prison for the fraud and breach of trust charges.
The trial, now in its fifth year, is not slated to conclude anytime soon — with Netanyahu's testimony and cross-examination alone likely to take at least eight more months.
The 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel initially delayed the trial as the country launched its war on Gaza.
The trial was restarted in December last year. Before the war, Israeli politics had been shaken by Netanyahu's legal troubles.
After winning the 2022 election, his far-right government attempted to curb the powers of the court through a judicial campaign — sparking mass protests in Israel and international fears for the future of the country's democracy.
Netanyahu has denied any link between the judicial overhaul and his trial. — Euronews
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