Coronavirus postpones Netanyhu’s corruption trial

Postponement may prolong confusion in Israeli politics since no party has a majority

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s corruption trial was delayed on Sunday for two months, until May, due to the coronavirus crisis.

The Justice Ministry said the trial, which was due to have opened on 17 March with the reading of an indictment in three graft cases against Israel‘s longest-serving leader, would begin on 24 May due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

Charges against him include bribery, breach of trust and fraud.

Netanyahu who is spearheading Israel’s measures to slow the spread of the virus, has denied any wrongdoing.

The prime minister was tested for the coronavirus as a precaution, his office said on Sunday. It later announced he had tested negative for the virus.

Mr Netanyahu, who heads the right-wing Likud party, is fighting for his political life after an inconclusive election on 2 March, following ballots in April and September that also ended without a clear victor.

In his legal cases, Mr Netanyahu is accused of wrongfully accepting $264,000 (£216,000) worth of gifts from tycoons, which prosecutors say included cigars and champagne, and of dispensing regulatory favours in alleged bids for improved coverage by a popular news website.

He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of bribery and a maximum three-year term for fraud and breach of trust.

Reuters