Netanyahu arranges meeting with Paraguay parliament speaker in court, hearing cut short |
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arranged a meeting with the president of Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies, Raúl Latorre, at the Tel Aviv District Court on Monday, after the judges in his trial had on Sunday refused his request to cancel the day’s hearing.
Netanyahu had bitterly complained to the judges at the beginning of Monday’s hearing in his criminal trial about their decision to hear his testimony from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. He told the judges he would be meeting Latorre at the courthouse, and that he then had to leave to prepare for another meeting at 12:30 p.m. with the US Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack.
Although the judges initially told him their decision was final, following further comments by Netanyahu in court after the hearing started that he had to leave by 10:30 a.m., and after a brief consultation between the judges and the defense and prosecution attorneys, the judges then agreed to end the hearing at 10:20 a.m, Hebrew media reported.
As the judges were leaving, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana brought Latorre into the courtroom, where Netanyahu and Latorre exchanged a few words, and then left the courtroom to speak outside.
“We are here to give you our full........