Israel’s former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman was in court on Thursday as his trial on charges of fraud and breach of trust got under way in Jerusalem.
At a first hearing on February 17, Lieberman pleaded not guilty in a trial which will decide the one-time nightclub bouncer’s political future.
Lieberman is suspected of trying to secure an ambassadorial posting for Israeli diplomat Zeev Ben Aryeh who provided him with confidential information about a police investigation into his affairs.
The incident allegedly took place in 2008 when Lieberman was serving only as an MP.
The case is being heard at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court by a panel of three judges.
An outspoken hardliner who has been investigated by police several times since 1996, Lieberman denies the charges, saying he is eager to vindicate himself in court.
According to the indictment, Lieberman was allegedly tipped off by Ben Aryeh that police had contacted their counterparts in Belarus for help with an inquiry into his affairs.