Netanyahu Slams Indictment against Wife as ‘Absurdity’
Local Editor
"Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Friday the indictment filed against his wife, dubbing it "absurdity [that] hit a new record."
"For the first time in history, an indictment is filed against the wife of a leader over food and takeout," Netanyahu said in a video posted on his Facebook page.
He further added: "Forget the fact everyone ate from that food - the residence's employees, official guests, even heads of states. The most absurd thing about this indictment is that it's based on an illegal procedure. "
"Five days before I took the office of prime minister in 2009, three bureaucrats with no authorization set a special procedure. But they did not receive the approval required by law from the Knesset's Finance Committee, and only it has a say," he explained. "The committee determined the state needs to fund the expenses of the prime minister and his family at the prime minister's residence, just like in the president's residence."
Thus, he determined, "The indictment is based on an illegal procedure, and won't hold water."
Netanyahu is suspected of ordering private meals worth roughly $96,600 from high-end restaurants with the "Israeli" footing the bill, although a cook had been hired to prepare the meals at the residence.
The indictment was filed nine months after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced his decision to file charges against the prime minister's wife pending a hearing. The Attorney's Office requested that the trial would be held under a three-judge panel due to "public sensitivity" and "the defendant's public position."
The former deputy director-general of the Bibi's Office, Ezra Saidoff, was also indicted, and he is facing similar charges of fraudulently obtaining benefits under aggravated circumstances, fraud and breach of trust. He was also accused of falsifying documents in three different affairs at the Netanyahu's residence.
A statement from the Attorney's Office said Netanyahu's claims, as well as those of Saidoff, have been rejected.
According to the indictment, from the beginning of September 2010 at the latest and until March 2013, Sara Netanyahu acted in conjunction with Saidoff to create a false impression according to which no cook was employed at Netanyahu's official residence.
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