The corruption trial against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will begin on March 17, two weeks following the upcoming Israeli elections, the Justice Ministry said Tuesday. The first hearing in the trial will be held then.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit formally submitted the charges against Netanyahu on January 28.
The indictments center on three cases, Case 1000, Case 2000, and Case 4000.
In Case 4000, the indictment revolves around allegations the Prime Minister expedited regulatory changes beneficial to the Bezeq telecommunications company’s owner Shaul Elovitch, in exchange for more positive coverage on the Walla! News website, also owned by Shaul Elovitch.
While Netanyahu was also charged with fraud and breach of trust in the Case 1000 and 2000 investigations, which revolve around allegations Netanyahu received gifts worth hundreds of thousands of shekels from several businessmen, the bribery charges in Case 4000 are the most severe.