Israel’s former Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu sought “total and complete” control over his media image, his ex-spokesman told the graft trial of the veteran leader on Monday.
Nir Hefetz disclosed that everything relating to the media, the politician demands to know everything, down to the smallest detail.
The testimony of Hefetz, seen as a key prosecution witness in Israel’s highest-profile trial, had been postponed from last week at the request of Netanyahu’s legal team.
Netanyahu — who was Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, including a record 12-year tenure from 2009 to 2021, and now head of the opposition — has been charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
The indictments collectively accuse him of accepting improper gifts and illegally trading regulatory favor with media moguls in exchange for positive coverage.
Netanyahu is accused of offering regulatory benefits that could have been worth millions to the company in return for the politically advantageous coverage.
