Sara Netanyahu: Wife of Israeli leader reaches plea deal in corruption case
First lady will pay the state 45,000 shekels ($12,400) in reimbursement and a 10,000-shekel fine
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Your support makes all the difference.Isreali Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife, Sara, has reportedly reached a plea bargain in a fraud case over allegedly misusing state funds to order catered meals.
Under the agreement, she will pay the state 45,000 shekels ($12,400) in reimbursement and a 10,000-shekel fine while admitting a lesser charge, Israel Radio reported.
Ms Netanyahu, along with a government employee, was originally charged with fraudulently obtained from the state more than $100,000 (£79,000) for hundreds of meals supplied by restaurants, bypassing regulations that prohibit the practice if a cook is employed at home.
The plea deal was reached in a six-month-long mediation process and will go into effect after it is ratified by a judge, the radio reported.
A spokesman for the Netanyahu family declined to comment. Prosecutors were not immediately available for comment.
Mr Netanayahu is embroiled in legal woes of his own - three corruption cases in which he has denied wrongdoing - and a political crisis that could force him to call a new national election.
In February, Israel's attorney general said he intended to file fraud and bribery charges against him, pending a pre-trial hearing.
That session is set for October.
Reuters
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