Israel's Prosecution Asks Court to Deny Netanyahu's Request to Skip Trial Hearing

TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2020) Israeli State Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday asked the court to deny Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request to skip the opening hearing in the graft trial scheduled for May 24.

A day prior, Netanyahu's defense team requested the court to absolve the prime minister from attending, arguing that his presence would complicate social distancing measures.

"The prosecutor does not see the possibility of changing the decision of a respected court regarding the accused's appearance at the reading hearing," the State Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

The state attorney maintained that Netanyahu's presence at the opening hearing was required in order to send the public message of justice and public trust in the fairness of criminal proceedings for all defendants.

Israel's Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit indicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last November on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three corruption cases. He also asked the parliament to waive the prime minister's immunity. In late January, Mandelblit officially filed criminal charges against Netanyahu.

The trial was to start in March but was postponed until May 24 because of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Israel.