“10,000 Toward a $ 100,000 Fee to Pay Mr. Netanyahu to Speak at a Breakfast”
Publications today about Sara Netanyahu’s #BottleGate revealed by Haaretz (“It emerged on Wednesday that…Sara Netanyahu kept thousands of shekels from deposits on empty bottles that were returned, on her orders, to supermarkets in Jerusalem over the course of several years even though the bottle deposits were state property.”) and figures on the alcohol consumptions expenses at the PM’s residence ($12500 in three months, paid by tax payers) makes one wonder if PM Netanyahu lives on such tight budget.
Does the family really needs to send state employees to collect 6 cents per, well, state owned empty bottle, and allegedly take this money into their own pocket?
Judging by the quote above, taken from a court appeal (U.S. v. Richard Stadtmauer, 2010), there is no need to open a charity fund on behalf of the Netanyahus. The appeal’s transcript, in which Charles Kushner‘s business was discussed, reveals that in 2000 – while Mr. Netanyahu was a private citizen – Kushner’s company partnerships (KC, in the text) forward $10,000-$100,000 as a fee for a breakfast talk to be given by him.
Kushner, an American real estate developer and political fundraiser, was convicted in 2005 in federal court for making illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering.
According to a 2013 Forbes article (cited here) Netanyahu’s estimated net worth is NIS 41 million ($11 million,) much of it was made through his lecture fees during his years out of office, between 1999 and 2002.
Look for the next #Bibistory uncovering the past life of the Prime Minister here on uriblau.com.