Sara Netanyahu indicted for fraudulently charging $100,000 in meals to the state

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit files an indictment Thursday afternoon against Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister’s wife, for allegedly fraudulently charging some NIS 359,000 ($100,000) in gourmet meals to the state’s expense between 2010 and 2013.

According to the indictment, Netanyahu falsely claimed there was no cook at the time in the Prime Minister’s Residence.

Netanyahu’s attorneys have tried in recent months to reach a settlement that would see no criminal indictment filed but would include the return of the funds. The State Attorney’s Office rejected the proposal, arguing that returning funds allegedly obtained illegally is not sufficient punishment for someone suspected of systematically defrauding the state.

Mandelblit also rejected any settlement because Sara Netanyahu is also a suspect in “Case 4000,” the Bezeq graft investigation.