Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified in his corruption trial on Monday (Jan 27) and accused the police and investigators of extorting “false testimony” against him from key witnesses.
Netanyahu alleged that the key aspects of the case against him rested on testimony that had been illegitimately obtained from witnesses, such as former aides Nir Hefetz, Ari Harrow, and Shlomo Filber.
Meanwhile, in the previous hearings, Netanyahu and his defence attorney Amit Hadad focused on aspects of the indictment against him that, according to Netanyahu’s testimony and Hadad’s claims, are factually inaccurate.
Netanyahu's testimony resumed on Monday, marking his seventh day on the stand, after a brief hiatus for prostate surgery. The prime minister’s doctor was also present at the hearing.
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Netanyahu takes stand in historic corruption trial
His testimony is part of a historic corruption trial that began in 2020, with Netanyahu facing charges of fraud, breach of trust, and bribery in three separate cases. The indictment against Netanyahu alleges that he had an illicit quid pro quo agreement with Walla's new site owner Shaul Elovitch, by which Walla would give Netanyahu favourable coverage in return for the prime minister approving regulatory decisions that benefited Elovitch.
At the beginning of the hearing, Netanyahu protested the judges' decision not to accede to the request of his lawyers to hold just one hearing this week due to postoperative complications and what the prime minister said was his need to deal with events in Lebanon and the hostage release process currently underway.
“I was very disappointed by your decision… I request consideration of this reality that would be given to any person,” Netanyahu told the judges.
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Hefetz claims betrayal, not pressure, led to testimony against Netanyahu
Although much of the hearing focused on examples of the allegedly illicit quid pro quo agreement between Netanyahu and Elovitch, Hadad also directed Netanyahu to comment on the veracity of the key state witnesses’ testimony against him.
Hadad focused in particular on former Netanyahu-spokesperson-turned-state-witness Hefetz, whom Netanyahu castigated for having secretly recorded conversations with him in his office, and accused of having given false testimony due to pressure from the police and investigators.
Hefetz testified in 2021 that he endured harsh conditions in custody, however, he claimed that his decision to testify against Netanyahu wasn't driven by the pressure he faced, but rather by feeling abandoned by the prime minister.
Netanyahu says Hefetz’s 'suffering' led to ‘lies’
In his testimony regarding Case 4000, Hefetz stated that he had coordinated contacts and meetings between Netanyahu and Elovitch to advance the allegedly unlawful scheme by which Walla gave the prime minister positive coverage in return for regulatory favours benefiting Elovitch’s business interests.
“[Hefetz] was not someone I trusted, I wasn’t prepared to open up everything to him,” Netanyahu told the court. “There were pretty massive leaks from the office. I suspected that they came from him. It happened after he entered [his job with the prime minister].”
Addressing the alleged physical pressure exerted on Hefetz, Netanyahu said that he had initially been angry with Hefetz for testifying against him but that “after I saw the suffering they put him through I understood that he had to lie.”
Netanyahu denies wrongdoing and claims, without evidence, that the charges were fabricated in a political coup led by the police and state prosecution.
(With inputs from agencies)