Israel PM’s wife convicted of misusing public funds

An Israeli court yesterday convicted the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fraudulently using state funds for meals, under a plea bargain which saw her admit to lesser charges. While the ruling cut short a high-profile trial, the Netanyahu family’s legal woes are far from over: the veteran premier himself faces possible indictment for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in the coming months. In a deal approved by judge Avital Chen at Jerusalem magistrates’ court, Sara Netanyahu was found guilty of exploiting the mistake of another person. She was also fined 10,000 shekels ($2,800) and ordered to reimburse the state a further 45,000 shekels. The 60-year-old was initially charged in June 2018 with fraud and breach of trust for buying catered meals despite the presence of a cook at the PM’s official residence. The amended indictment, approved Sunday, dropped the graft charges.