PM Netanyahu's wife Sara
Photo: MCT
PM's wife may settle residence affair without trial
With AG’s decision on whether to charge Sara Netanyahu on alleged fraudulent food orders worth hundreds of thousands of shekels looming, her legal teams seek 'conditional settlement,' in which she'll agree to indictment's details but not to culpability, pay hefty fine.
Attorneys for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife Sara reportedly had a difficult time Wednesday convincing Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit
and State Attorney Shay Nitzan and their legal teams not to indict her
on a corruption probe known as the "Residences affair."
According to her defense teams, she had "no awareness she may have been committing criminal offenses." She had placed her trust with the finance and administration officials of the Prime Minister's Residence and Prime Minister's Office, they claimed, and did not delve deeply into the details of how her orders were being carried out.
Until the attorney general reaches a decision on whether to indict the premier's wife, both parties will attempt to bring the investigation into her alleged impropriety surrounding her conduct at the prime minister's official residence to an end, with an admission to most of the details in the draft indictment and a sizeable fine paid to the state's coffers. However, Mrs. Netanyahu will not accept responsibility for the offenses.
Sara Netanyahu's legal team, headed by attorney Jacob Weinroth, arrived at the attorney general's offices Wednesday in a bid to convince the heads of Israel's prosecution that Mrs. Netanyahu should not be indicted at all.
PM Netanyahu's wife Sara may agree to a 'conditional settlement' (Photo: MCT)
It is for that reason, they argued, that she had committed no offenses and did not encourage anyone to commit them a crime. In addition, since Mrs. Netanyahu is not a public servant, she was not aware of the regulations limiting her in ordering meals from restaurants and chefs, they claimed.
Lastly, Netanyahu's attorneys claimed that since she was not a public servant, Mrs. Netanyahu could not be charged with fraud and breach of trust.
Attorney Jacob Weinroth met with AG Mandelblit and State Attorney Nitzan to discuss allegations against Mrs. Netanyahu (Photo: Yariv Katz)
At the end of the two parties' discussion, it came to light that the prime minister's wife could still bring the affair to a close before going to court through a "conditional settlement," in which Mrs. Netanyahu will admit the details of the indictment, but not her culpability. She will also accept, according to the settlement, a punishment such as a fine, a suspended sentence or community service.
A senior legal official clarified that, "The draft indictment against Sara Netanyahu was prepared with a heavy heart, but it was supported by evidence and it was detailed. There is also a state witness against her, (former Prime Minister's Residence caretaker) Meni Naftali, who can testify and corroborate evidence.
"The affair cannot end without ramifications," the official added, "and it's inconceivable for Mrs. Netanyahu to wriggle out of the matter without accepting responsibility for her actions."
AG Mandelblit announced he was considering indicting the prime minister's wife (Photo: EPA)
Attorney General Mandelblit announced last September he was considering indicting Sara Netanyahu for fraudulently obtaining benefits under aggravated circumstances, fraud and breach of trust on the meal orders investigation.
According to suspicion, from the beginning of September 2010 at the latest and until March 2013, Sara Netanyahu acted in conjunction with former deputy director-general of the Prime Minister's Office Ezra Saidoff, to create a false impression according to which no cook was employed at the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem.
Mrs. Netanyahu allegedly conspired with fmr. PMO deputy director-general Saidoff to bilk the state of hundreds of thousands of shekels (Photo: Amit Shabi)
The pair allegedly colluded to circumvent regulations that stated that if no cook was employed at the official residence, "prepared cooked food could be ordered to the residence according to need."
In so doing, the pair supposedly sought to obtain state financing both for employing the cooks working at the residence and for ordering ready made meals and chefs to cook at the residence.
Funding for hundreds of meals from chefs and restaurants was thus allegedly obtained, costing the public NIS 359,000.
