Israeli PM’s wife ‘cooked the books’

JERUSALEM: Israel’s attorney- general is considering indicting the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sara, on suspicion of using state funds for personal dining and catering services amounting to some $100 000 (R1.3 billion), the justice ministry said yesterday.

The ministry statement said the attorney-general was considering prosecuting Sara Netanyahu for offences that include fraudulently procuring items, fraud and breach of trust.

A post on the prime minister’s Facebook page published on Thursday in response to media reports about a forthcoming announcement by attorney- general Avichai Mandelblit said the claims against Sara Netanyahu were “absurd and will be proven to be unfounded”.

It was unclear what political impact the announcement might have on Netanyahu, who himself is under investigation in two graft cases.

One of those, known as Case 1000, involves gifts that he and his family may have received from businessmen, while Case 2000 deals with alleged efforts by him to secure better coverage from an Israeli newspaper publisher.

Netanyahu, who has been PM for 11 years over four terms, has denied any wrongdoing.

In a case dubbed “the meals-ordering affair” by the Justice Ministry, Sara Netanyahu with help from an aide allegedly created a false impression between 2010-2013 that no cooks were employed at the PM’s official residence.

This was done allegedly to procure state funding for outside catering.

Sara Netanyahu has the option to plead her case in a hearing with the attorney-general. – Reuters