Netanyahu wife faces fraud trial
Sara Netanyahu denies allegations over €85,000 catering bills
ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife faced court yesterday for her fraud trial in which she is alleged to have misused state funds to order catered meals.
According to the indictment filed in June, Sara Netanyahu, along with a government employee, fraudulently obtained from the state more than €85,000 for hundreds of meals supplied by restaurants, bypassing regulations that prohibit the practice if a cook is employed at home.
Ms Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing.
She was charged in June with fraud and breach of trust and of aggravated fraudulent receipt of goods. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison.
Looking tense as she walked into yesterday’s hearing, she made no comment to reporters and sat on a bench behind her lawyers. Israeli media reports said the session would deal with procedural matters.
Ms Netanyahu’s lawyers argue the charges don’t hold up because the regulations for ordering meals were legally invalid and a household employee had requisitioned the food despite Ms Netanyahu’s protestations.
“If we even get to the stage of presenting evidence, I do believe your honour may laugh,” one of her attorneys, Yossi Cohen, told the court. Ms Netanyahu was not asked to enter a plea.
Ms Netanyahu (59) has inspired a multitude of headlines in the past over what family spokesmen call an undeserved reputation for imperiousness.
Transcripts from police investigations have sporadically been leaked to the media, painting an unflattering picture of Ms Netanyahu. In them she complains about the quality of food served at the prime minister’s residence and uses expletives to describe the staff.
Ms Netanyahu has long faced allegations of extravagant spending and abusive behaviour. In 2016, a court ruled she abused a housekeeper and awarded the man €36,000 in damages.
Other former employees have also claimed mistreatment and accused her of charging the state for her private and lavish tastes, including pink champagne and other luxuries.
The prime minister, who himself is embroiled in a series of corruption investigations, has called the allegations against his wife absurd and unfounded.
In 2017, the Netanyahus won a libel suit against an Israeli journalist who said Sara once kicked her husband out of their car during an argument. In 2016, a Jerusalem labour court ruled that she had insulted and raged at household staff in the prime minister’s official residence.
It seemed unlikely her present legal woes would cause significant political damage to her husband, now in his fourth term as Israel’s leader and riding high in opinion polls despite the allegations against him.
Accusations he has made against the Israeli media of orchestrating a political witchhunt against him and his wife appear to have struck a chord with his right-wing voter base, which has rallied to the 68-year-old leader.
The next national elections in Israel are scheduled for November 2019.