Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife Sara admits misusing public funds
Sara Netanyahu, the wife of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has admitted to misuse of state funds and will have to pay $15,000 .
She was charged with fraud and breach of trust last year and the verdict means that she will now have a criminal record. She will now have to repay the state $12,490 and pay a fine of $2,777.
A deal was pressed heavily by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court which approved the deal making the conviction final and giving Sara Netanyahu a criminal record, though as part of the agreement the charges were reduced. Netanyahu was sentenced to pay a reduced fine from the original charge.
Under the deal, the prime minister’s wife has confessed to a reduced charge of intentionally exploiting another person’s error, in lieu of the original more serious charge of fraud.
She was accused of spending $99,300 on outside catering while falsely declaring there were no cooks available at the PM’s residence.
Netanyahu’s lawyers argued that she had not been made aware of the procedures about outside catering and that the meals had been ordered by the household manager and served to visiting dignitaries.
