Excessive spending of state funds by Netanyahu revealed

Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara: a state comptrollers report has concluded that the Netanyahus ran up household costs that were significantly excessive and inconsistent with the basic principles of proportionality, sensibility, thrift and efficiency. Photograph: Nir Elias/Reuters

Only a month before Israelis vote in a general election, a damning report by Israels state comptroller has revealed excessive spending of state funds by the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu.

The comptrollers report examined the spending of the prime ministers official residence in Jerusalem and the Netanyahus private villa in the plush coastal resort of Caesarea. It followed numerous media reports of financial improprieties, many blamed on Mr Netanyahus wife, Sara.

State comptroller Yosef Shapira concluded that the Netanyahus had run up household costs that were significantly excessive and inconsistent with the basic principles of proportionality, sensibility, thrift and efficiency.

The report revealed that the Netanyahus spent large sums of state funds on ordering takeaway meals from restaurants and hotels even though a member of staff was employed as a cook. In 2011, outside meals were ordered for the residences at a cost of 20,000.

Between 2009 and 2013, the average monthly cost for cleaning was 17,000.

The couple also hired a private electrician, a member of the prime ministers Likud party central committee, to work on weekends at the their Caesarea home . He was also called out on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

The polls show Mr Netanyahus Likud running neck and neck with the centre-left Zionist Camp, jointly headed by Labours Yitzhak Herzog and former justice minister Tzipi Livni. It remains to be seen what impact the report will have on the Israeli electorate. Previous reports of the Netanyahus excessive spending did little to sway right-wing voters, who accused the leftist media of a witch hunt.

The Likud party said in a statement that many of the shortcomings cited had already been rectified and that Mr Netanyahu was acting on others.

Regrettably, the media campaign in the past few weeks over this report is a clear attempt to topple the prime minister and the Likud government by trifling with petty issues and distracting voters, the party said.

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Excessive spending of state funds by Netanyahu revealed