Prosecutors reportedly rebuff compromise for PM’s wife in catered meals case

State prosecutors seeking a corruption conviction against the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reportedly rejected three proposals to resolve a case against her without going to trial.

Sara Netanyahu is being tried for alleged misuse of some $100,000 in state funds. Prosecutors agreed to enter into arbitration in the case as regular court proceedings move forward.

The proposals, put forward by arbitrator Judge Mordechai Kaduri, who is vice president of the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, called for Netanyahu to admit some guilt and pay fines, but not be convicted of breach of trust or fraud, according to a report by Israel’s Channel 13 news Thursday.

“It is not the most serious case I’ve come across, but I am glad that also in this case we are giving attention to inappropriate behavior,” Kaduri wrote to both sides according to the report. “The public interest is that the case not go to trial. Even if the conviction is for alternative offenses, as far as Mrs Netanyahu is concerned it will be the end of the world.”

Netanyahu is accused of fraudulently charging some NIS 360,000 to the state for catered meals at the prime minister’s official residence while falsely claiming there was no full-time chef on staff. Ezra Saidoff, a former deputy director general of the Prime Minister’s Office, is also accused of aiding the scheme.

One plan was for Netanyahu to pay a fine of NIS 500,000 ($136,000) and with that the case would be closed. Another envisioned a fine of NIS 200,000 ($54,000) and Netanyahu admitting to an offense of taking advantage of another’s mistake — but without a conviction.

The third option was for the prime minister’s wife to be convicted in a plea bargain of lesser graft charge, pay a fine and receive a suspended sentence, the report said.

The State Prosecutor rejected the proposal, seeking instead an admission from netanyahu that she misused state funds, and a conviction on the charge, according to the channel.

Channel 13 did not say if Netanyahu agreed to any of the prosecutor’s terms.

The next round of negotiations will be on February 4 and prosecutors intend to ask for an alternative proposal.

The Justice Ministry said it could not comment on an ongoing trial, but suggested “being wary of partial or incomplete information.”

Netanyahu’s trial is separate from her husband’s legal woes, which revolve around suspicions the prime minister took bribes or tried to arrange favors for media barons in exchange for positive press coverage.

Sara Netanyahu is also a suspect in one of those cases, in which she is thought to  have had a hand in arranging positive media coverage from the Walla news site. Shaul Elovitch, the site’s owner, is alleged to have granted the family editorial control over some items in exchange for regulatory benefits arranged by the Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Netanyahus have denied any wrongdoing, and say they are the victims of a political witch hunt driven by a hostile media.