The Prosecutor's Office refused the Prime Minister's request not to attend the first hearing next week • "The presence of the accused in his trial is also important in the face of justice and public trust"

• Prime Minister Netanyahu (right) and the Deputy Prime Minister and the State Attorney Mandelblit

  Photo: 

  Oren Ben Hakun

The State Attorney's Office announced Tuesday that it opposes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's failure to attend his trial this Sunday, as his defense attorneys have requested.

The Attorney General's Response to Netanyahu's Request

It also states, inter alia: "Not for the honorable court in its decisions of 2020.2.18 and 2020.5.10 that the reading hearing will be held in the presence of the defendants, along with their power of attorney." 

"The presence of the defendant in his trial is also important in the aspect of the appearance of justice and the public's trust in the fairness and equality of the criminal procedure in relation to all the defendants," the document filed by the prosecutor's office in the District Court read. 

Remember, Netanyahu yesterday asked not to come to trial on Sunday for "technical reasons." The prime minister also claimed that arriving at the courtroom involved high security costs. However, the Jerusalem District Court is in the east of the city. 

Netanyahu is charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in the 1000 cases (gift bag), 2000 (the Moses case) and 4000 (the Bezeq-Walla case).