A one-time confidant to Benjamin Netanyahu has begun testifying against him in the former Israeli prime minister’s corruption trial in Jerusalem.
Nir Hefetz, a former spokesperson for Netanyahu, is a key prosecution witness expected to deliver critical testimony in the trial, which revolves around accusations that Netanyahu committed fraud and breach of trust, and accepted bribes. The former premier, now opposition leader, denies any wrongdoing.
Hefetz left a long career in journalism in 2009 to work as a spokesperson for Netanyahu’s government, and in 2014 became the Netanyahu family’s spokesperson and adviser. In 2018, after he was arrested in connection with one of Netanyahu’s corruption cases, Hefetz signed a state witness deal and provided investigators with recordings of conversations with Netanyahu and his family. » | Associated Press in Jerusalem | Monday, November 22, 2021