Itongadol.- Police have found evidence of criminal wrongdoing on the part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife Sara Netanyahu, regarding the use of state funds in the management of the Prime Minister’s residence.
The revelation on Sunday – confirmed by a police official who spoke to the Jerusalem Post – means that prosecutors could potentially indict Netanyahu on criminal charges based on the findings of the police investigation.
Evidence was also found against two other suspects – Ezra Seidoff, a top deputy in the Prime Minister’s office, and electrician Avi Fahima.
Police have handed the investigative findings to Jerusalem district prosecutors, who will decide how to proceed.
In an unusual and perhaps even unprecedented move, the official police statement about the end of the investigation made no mention of whether or not police found evidence to support the allegations against Sara Netanyahu. Typically, when police finish an investigation against a public figure – or even a celebrity, such as last week when they announced the end of the investigation against actor Moshe Ivgy – they write in their official statement whether or not the evidence in the case supports the allegations.
The police are always careful to say that they don’t officially recommend an indictment, but by confirming that there is evidence to support the allegations, they effectively confirm that there is basis for an indictment.
In the laconic, vague official statement on Sunday, police said only that they had finished the investigation “which began in February 2015 following the approval of the Attorney General and State Prosecutor and focused on a number of areas in which they were criminal suspicions, including of fraud and breach of trust.”
It continued “at the end of the investigation, all apparent evidence, findings and understandings that were collected in the police case were transferred to the Jerusalem District prosecutor’s office to decide how to proceed.”
The statement was met by fierce criticism in the Whatsapp group run by the national police spokesperson’s office to communicate with dozens of crime reporters from across the country. Journalists said the statement was unprecedented in its vagueness, a disservice to the public, and one even alleged that the content of message was coordinated with the Prime Minister’s office.
Several hours after the message was sent out Sunday, the prime minster posted a statement on his Facebook page saying that “the police statement doesn’t include any recommendation to put Mrs. Netanyahu on trial. Contrary to the reports, Mrs. Netanyahu never carried out any crime. The various claims that have arisen in the press will be proven to be baseless, just like all the previous claims made against the Netanyahu family over the years.”