The defense for former Interior Minister Aryeh Deri has won a five-month delay in his trial on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of public trust.
The trial, in which Deri and three aides are co-defendants, began Wednesday in Jerusalem District Court.
Lawyers for the defense had requested an eight-month delay to become familiar with the complicated case, which they took after other lawyers for the defense resigned.
The three aides are accused of bribing Deri, a leader of the fervently Orthodox Shas Party, to provide funds and favors to the non-profit associations they oversaw.
On Oct. 12, the Knesset voted to remove Deri’s parliamentary immunity so that he could stand trial.
A month earlier, the High Court of Justice had required Deri to step down as interior minister because of the charges of financial misconduct.
After Deri announced in September that he would leave his post, officials of the Sephardic Shas party said they would withdraw from the Labor-led coalition, which they joined when the government was formed last year.
Deri, in his mid-30s, had been interior minister for more than six years.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
