[JURIST] The national Israeli Police [official website] on Sunday recommended [Haaretz report] that Sara Netanyahu, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, be indicted for improper behavior and misuse of state funds. The allegations include breach of trust, falsifying documents and receiving goods under false pretenses. Law enforcement officials asserted [Jerusalem Post report] that they have found enough evidence to indict the following: Sara Netanyahu, Deputy Director of the Prime Minister’s office Ezra Saidoff and electrician Avi Fahima. The police official statement did not expressly recount [Jewish Press report] the evidentiary foundation for an indictment against the suspects. The Netanyahus have denied the allegations, including a separate case that alleged they received improper gifts when the prime minister served as finance minister in 2003.
The investigation into spending by the Netanyahus began [Time Of Israel report] last year after a former custodian “successfully sued for damages after alleging abuse at the hands of Ms. Netanyahu” and a state comptroller report criticized [NYT report] their spending habits. In 2015, Israel’s attorney general ordered [JURIST report] a criminal probe into excessive residential spending by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. This was not the first time an Israeli prime minister had gone through a criminal investigation. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was convicted [JURIST report] of accepting bribes relating to the construction of a luxury apartment complex called the Holyland Towers in 2014.