JERUSALEM: An Israeli court docket on Friday (Jun 27) rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone giving testimony in his corruption trial, after United States President Donald Trump mentioned the case ought to be cancelled.
Netanyahu’s lawyer on Thursday requested the court docket to excuse the chief from hearings over the subsequent two weeks, saying he wanted to focus on “safety points” after Israel’s 12-day war with Iran.
The Jerusalem district court docket mentioned in a judgment printed on-line that “in its present kind (his request) doesn’t present a foundation or detailed justification for the cancellation of the hearings”.
Trump on Wednesday described the case towards Netanyahu as a “witch hunt”, saying the trial “ought to be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Nice Hero”.
Netanyahu has thanked Trump for his assist in Israel’s transient struggle towards Iran, which ended with a ceasefire on Jun 24.
Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and his supporters have described the long-running trial as politically motivated.
In a primary case, he and his spouse, Sara, are accused of accepting greater than US$260,000 price of luxurious items resembling cigars, jewelry and champagne from billionaires in alternate for political favours.
In two different instances, Netanyahu is accused of trying to barter extra beneficial protection from two Israeli media shops.
Throughout his present time period since late 2022, Netanyahu’s authorities has proposed a collection of far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say had been designed to weaken the courts.
Netanyahu has requested a number of postponements within the trial because it started in Might 2020, citing the struggle in Gaza which began in 2023, later preventing in Lebanon and this month the battle with Iran.
