Defense Minister Ehud Barak
Photo: Reuters
State comptroller to probe Barak's business dealings
Knesset's State Control Committee asks Micha Lindenstrauss to look into funding of companies owned by defense minister when he was still a private businessman
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss will compile a special brief on the funding of companies owned by Defense Minister Ehud Barak as part of his private business ventures, prior to taking office, the Knesset's State Control Committee decided Monday.
Lindenstrauss announced that his office was already gathering the relevant material.
The committee debated the issue following an article featured in Haaretz newspaper's weekend magazine. The article claiming that once Barak was elected Labor Party chairman, the companies – which are now controlled by his three daughters – received funding in the excess of NIS 6 million ($1.62 million).
The article further claimed that one of the companies was still operational.
Lindenstrauss' probe comes on the heels of other unflattering findings regarding the defense minister's financial conduct: The state comptroller recently found that Barak's travel expenses during a recent trip to Paris were severely exaggerated.
