Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial resumed on Sunday at the Jerusalem District Court.
The second hearing of the trial, which Netanyahu and other defendants in the case were not obliged to attend, is focusing on an additional time given to his lawyers to study the investigation material, according to a media report.
In the hearing, Netanyahu’s lawyer Yossi Segev asked for a postponement in the beginning of the trial due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We cannot investigate witnesses when the witness is wearing a mask,” he told the judges.
The judges are expected to determine the timetable for the hearings in the trial during a discussion.
The accusations include accepting some $200,000 in gifts such as cigars and champagne from two billionaires, Hollywood-based Israeli movie mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian magnate James Packer, according to a Times of Israel report.
Late June, hundreds of Israelis protested against Netanyahu outside his Jerusalem residence as the Israeli prime minister faces corruption charges.
The protesters were holding banners, describing Netanyahu as “crime minister”.
Earlier, Israelis protested in Tel Aviv against the unity government, the latest in a string of dozens of rallies against a government in which Netanyahu serves as the Prime Minister.
The protesters said that a person indicted with criminal charges should not lead the government.
Israel’s longest-serving leader is facing growing public anger over his handling of the coronavirus crisis.
Netanyahu is also accused of offering to push legislation benefiting powerful Israeli media moguls in exchange for more positive coverage in their publications.
He denies any wrongdoing, saying he is the victim of a wide-ranging conspiracy and called the allegations baseless.