Netanyahu’s wife on hot seat as fraud trial set to begin
JERUSALEM — A relaxed and smiling Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appeared before a Jerusalem judge Sunday, the first hearing in a long-anticipated trial that will likely shed light on what critics often describe as her and her husband’s opulent and selfindulgent lifestyle.
Netanyahu, together with former deputy director of the prime minister’s office, Ezra Saidoff, is accused of ordering meals from private chefs and catering companies, tallying up a bill of about $100,000 in public funds from 2010-13, even though a full-time chef was already employed at the residence.
The prime minister is not directly named in the case but a very public trial against his wife could have far-reaching implications for his political standing and could harm his image at a time when he is said to be considering an early election. There will also be echoes from his first term as prime minister, 1996 to 1999, when his wife was under constant scrutiny for her behavior.
Even during his current term in office, Sara Netanyahu, who often appears at his side during political and diplomatic events, has faced damning testimony from former employees describing extreme temper tantrums and an unhealthy obsession with cleanliness. She is often portrayed by the media as a kind of Marie Antoinette.
Less than three years ago, a former chief caretaker at the official residence successfully sued the couple for abusive Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israel’s prime minister enters court for a pre-trial hearing Sunday in Jerusalem. treatment, winning about $43,735 in damages. During his testimony, Meni Naftali revealed intimate details about her, including a taste for pink champagne and other luxuries. Another trial, stemming from allegations of abuse filed by a former cleaner, is slated to begin later this month in Jerusalem’s labor court.
Seeking to downplay the charges against her, Sara Netanyahu’s legal team released a statement Sunday saying this was the “first time in history that an indictment has been filed against the wife of a world leader for ordering trays of food.”
The statement highlighted previous claims that it was Naftali, the former caretaker, who had ordered the outside catering, against Netanyahu’s wishes. It also said that the food was used for official purposes and reiterated her legal defense that it was up to the parliament to “determine the expenditure procedures at the prime minister’s residence.”
In the hopes of avoiding a public trial, Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit did offer Netanyahu a plea deal if she agreed to repay all the money in question and admit wrongdoing.
She reportedly rejected the offer, a legal strategy that prompted two of her lawyers to quit and led to a full-on trial.
Though Sunday’s hearing was only to determine if her case should be heard by a single judge or by a panel of judges, Netanyahu was required to attend. She did not speak during the hearing, which was not televised as is the regulation in Israel. Journalists were, however, allowed to inside the courtroom.
According to the indictment filed last June by the Israeli police, Netanyahu and Saidoff falsified documents so that food from outside companies and private chefs could be used. Investigators also found evidence that she had asked other employees to hide the fact that she used outside chefs and was aware that ordering meals from outside was a violation of the rules.