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Israel’s Attorney General’s Office has denied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to reduce the number of hours and days he has to testify in a corruption case. This was reported by the Israeli state broadcaster KAN News.
Prime Minister’s request
On Wednesday, Netanyahu filed a request to change the schedule of his testimony, explaining that he was extremely busy as head of government. In particular, he suggested:
- Limit the time of testimony from 10:00 to 15:00 (instead of 9:00-15:30);
- Schedule hearing days on two separate days per week, rather than consecutively;
- Move the venue of the hearing to the Tel Aviv District Court for greater convenience;
- To be able to have a private meeting with the judges before the start of their testimony.
Response of the Prosecutor’s Office
The Office of the Prosecutor General, Gali Baharav-Miara, strongly objected to the changes in the schedule, noting that it could negatively affect the course of the trial.
In response, Netanyahu’s office accused the prosecution of bias. According to the prime minister’s representatives, “the principle of equality is being used to discriminate against the prime minister in order to harm his defence”.
Case 4000
The trial, known as Case 4000, is one of three criminal proceedings against Netanyahu. He is accused of having granted communications magnate Shaul Elovitch regulatory preferences while Prime Minister in exchange for positive media coverage of his activities.
The court hearings in this case have been going on for several years and have caused a significant public outcry in Israel, calling into question the issue of equality before the law, even for the head of state.
