A criminal investigation has been launched against Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Israeli prosecutor’s office confirmed the investigation in a letter sent on Sunday to an opposition lawmaker, without specifying the nature of the case against Mrs Netanyahu, who is currently in the United States.
Labour Party MK Naama Lazimi, who received the letter, accused Mrs Netanyahu of attempting to bribe a witness in her husband’s corruption trial, citing a December report by a private television channel. Lazimi said the notification is significant for parliamentary oversight, the judiciary, and the rule of law. She pledged to keep pressing the issue until justice is served.
The lawmaker had made her correspondence with the justice department public following an investigation by the Channel 12 programme “Uvda,” which claimed Mrs Netanyahu tried to intimidate a witness in her husband’s trial. The programme aired recordings purportedly of Mrs Netanyahu asking her late husband’s assistant to harass and run negative social media campaigns against her husband’s opponents, including Hadas Klein, a key witness in the trial.
In December, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in court for the first time in his corruption trial, dismissing the charges against him as “ridiculous.” This hearing marked the resumption of the trial that began in May 2020 but was paused due to the conflict in Gaza.
Netanyahu has filed several postponement requests, citing the conflict triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israeli territory on 7 October 2023. He is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to face a criminal trial. He is charged with corruption, fraud, and breach of trust.
