Netanyahu asks for his corruption trial to be postponed

The prime minister of Israel , Benjamin Netanyahu , called on Monday, 9, to postpone for 45 days the start of the corruption trial in which the defendant is scheduled for March 17. The defense states that the prime minister has not yet obtained access to some documents of the investigation.

Netanyahu was indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust by prosecutor Avichaï Mandelblit. In two of these cases, he is accused of exchanging favors for positive coverage in the local press, and in the third, for receiving gifts worth 700,000 shekels (about 853,000 reais) from a Hollywood producer.

Despite the accusations in court, Netanyahu was the winner in the country's last elections , the third in a year. His party, Likud, won 36 seats, the largest parliamentary bench. But it will still have to negotiate with other legends a coalition, with the majority of 61 in the House, to compose a new government.

If these negotiations fail, the country risks being called to a fourth election in a year, initially scheduled for September. The retired general Benny Gantz , leader of the Blue and White party, with 33 seats, refused to form a coalition government with Bibi, as Netanyahu is known, because he did not want to get involved with a prime minister investigated for corruption.

Israeli law says any minister subject to criminal prosecution must resign. But the law does not apply to the prime minister. However, Netanyahu is not free to be investigated. Before the elections, Bibi asked Parliament to grant him immunity, but the request was denied.

Gantz, on the other hand, says he will not budge. The country's president, Reuven Rivlin, can entrust the leader of Blue and White with the task of trying to negotiate a coalition and govern as prime minister. However, due to the current situation in Parliament, where there are few options for coalition, the idea of ​​new elections is beginning to strengthen.