Having a defense witness testify concurrently with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial testimonies may contaminate witness statements, the prosecution told the Jerusalem District Court following a ruling accepting the trial’s hearing schedule change.
According to the Thursday ruling, Netanyahu would take the stand on Mondays and Wednesdays, with another defense witness testifying on Tuesday, but the prosecution warned that the witnesses could influence one another and damage the authenticity of their statements.
The defense could adapt its line of inquiry and the defendant could change his version of events according to what others testified.
“The testimony of these witnesses is expected to deal with issues and evidence that the defendant is still testifying about or is expected to testify about in his main examination and cross-examination,” said the prosecution.
The eight witnesses proposed by the defense to testify parallel to the prime minister over the next two months are expected by the prosecution to review subjects such as the champagne and cigars Netanyahu received from mogul Arnon Milchan allegedly as part of a bribe. Netanyahu has yet to testify on the Case 1000 gifts affair.
Netanyahu’s weekly testimony hearings were altered to two days a week instead of three in response to the complex political and state security situations the leader faced.
A need for efficiency takes priority
The judges had acknowledged that conventionally witness testimonies do not overlap, but the need for efficiency and the practical problems of the case overshadowed the standard.
Netanyahu had previously requested a similar docket change when his testimonies began in December but was rejected by the court. In practice, due to constant delays and cancellations, there have not been three testimonies a week.
Netanyahu has 12 more hearings for his testimony, with Monday set to be his 14th session in the underground Tel Aviv court.