Ex-New York assembly speaker’s trial set for April 30

NEW YORK – Opening statements in the corruption trial of New York’s former assembly speaker have been postponed until April 30.

Manhattan federal Judge Valerie Caproni publicly announced the date in a court filing Wednesday for the retrial of Democrat Sheldon Silver.

Jury selection will occur Monday, as previously scheduled. Openings were delayed after prosecutors said Tuesday that a key witness was ill.

Silver is being retried after his 2015 conviction was overturned by an appeals court that cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling narrowing public corruption law.

The 74-year-old Silver has maintained he acted legally when he earned millions of dollars after a doctor who received state-funded research grants referred patients suffering from asbestos-related health issues to his law firm.