Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Wife Faces Indictment in ‘Sara-gate’ Household Scandal

Israeli police have recommended bringing criminal charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, Israeli media said, on suspicion she misused state funds at their official and private residences.

Mrs Netanyahu, who has denied any wrongdoing, was questioned by the police fraud squad in December. Any significant political fallout for the prime minister would likely depend on whether state prosecutors accept the police recommendation.

“Mrs Netanyahu did not break any law, these are matters that do not even come close to breaking the law … We are certain that when the authorities check the facts they will find that there is nothing in them,” Netanyahu spokesman Nir Hefez said.

Police said in a statement they had concluded the investigation and had presented their findings to prosecutors, who would decide what action to take, but unsourced reports in all Israel’s main media outlets said police had recommended that charges be brought.

The suspicions relate to Mrs Netanyahu’s alleged misuse of state funds to pay a caregiver for her ailing father before his death, the hiring of an electrician who did not meet the requirements of a government tender and for opulent meals.

The investigation was prompted by a government auditor’s findings and by information provided by a former chief custodian at the official residence. In February, he won damages for emotional distress after a labor court found that Mrs Netanyahu had repeatedly scolded him and other household staff.

In a separate report by the state auditor on Tuesday, the prime minister was criticized over free air tickets that he and his family received for travel abroad when he was finance minister more than a decade ago.

No criminal charges have been brought in that investigation. Netanyahu’s lawyers said he had broken no laws in having travel and expenses covered by organizations that invited him to speak at events raising funds for Israel, or by private individuals associated with those groups.

Three years ago, Netanyahu and his wife caused a flap when a bedroom for the couple was fitted, at the cost to public coffers of $127,000, onto a chartered El Al flight to London, where the couple attended the funeral of former British leader Margaret Thatcher.

The prime minister’s office responded at the time that he was entitled to a good night’s sleep on an overnight flight after a hectic day.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.