Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to a Jerusalem court on Monday for his corruption trial, as political leaders weigh in on whether he should be in charge of forming a new coalition government after the fourth election in two years.
Netanyahu faces multiple counts of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three corruption cases. Part of the cases are accusations that Netanyahu effectively bought positive media coverage of his administration.
In her opening statement, lead prosecutor Liat Ben Ari told the court that Netanyahu sought “improper benefits from owners of major media in Israel in order to advance his personal affairs.”
“Everyone is equal in the eyes of the law and all people are equal before the court and the judges, the great and the small, the rich and the poor, the powerful and the simple,” she said in a report by Haaretz.
