As election looms, Netanyahu set for legal strife against former employee

Former caretaker of PM's residence gets immunity testifying on alleged improprieties
A former caretaker of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence received immunity from prosecution and for the past few hours has been testifying to police about alleged improprieties by Netanyahu and his wife.
Meanwhile Netanyahu has reportedly retained the services of one of Israel's top criminal attorneys, Yaakov Weinroth.
It is understood Meni Naftali, who last year has sued Netanyahu’s wife Sara for allegedly abusive behavior toward him, is also providing documents to back up his claims.
Naftali, a former soldier in an elite military unit, was the family's bodyguard for several years before being asked to assume the running of the residence.
Chief of the Israel Police Yohanan Danino has confirmed Naftali got immunity from prosecution for his disclosures on the Netanyahu couple.
“The days are over when anyone can say things that are patently untrue without any legal repercussions,” Naftali was quoted in Israeli media as saying.
“The abuse I've suffered working for the Netanyahus pushed me to the limit. Their home was my workplace and they did not fulfill their obligations toward me as employers, breaking umpteen labor laws. In my worst nightmares did I not imagine that a prime minister in Israel could behave in this manner."
In March 2014 Naftali filed a suit claiming NIS one million (approximately $288,250) in damages over labor law violations and allegedly abusive treatment at the hands of his former employers.
He claimed further abusive behavior by the Prime Minister's wife, relating an incident in which Sara Netanyahu demanded that a worker who packed several eggs in the same bag, re-pack the eggs in separate bags – within 20 seconds, all the while shouting a countdown. "You're making the prime minister late," Sara Netanyahu allegedly screamed.
In reaction to Naftali's lawsuit, the Prime Minister's Office called the claims "malicious gossip that violates the privacy of the Prime Minister and his wife."

Comptroller report: Netanyahu family's 'spending spree' must stop

Earlier in the week Israel's State Comptroller Yosef Shapira published the findings of a probe examining allegations of misappropriation of state funds and excessive spending by the Netanyahu couple from 2009-2013.
Although the report did not find any clear evidence of foul play - Netanyhau's biggest fear ahead of its publication - Shapira pointed out the continued lack of distinction between public expenses and private expenses, excessive and improper expenditures at the Prime Minister’s Residence, and budgetary practices that have not been carried out with integrity and transparency.
The report is divided into two parts: The first part deals with the Netanyahu family's spending in recent years and the second part deals with the expenses of the Prime Minister's Residence.
In his introduction to the report, Shapira emphasized that auditing the Prime Minister Residence’s finances was difficult due to poor management and budgeting practices.
“The audit found that the budget for the residences for 2009-2012 were made without a process that analyzed needs or determined estimated expenses. This did not meet a single criteria for the rules of proper management, and hurt the ability to carry out proper auditing and oversight,” wrote Shapira, referring to spending on both the official Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem and Netanyahu’s private home in Caesarea.
The report found spending by the Prime Minister’s Residence on catered and take-away meals, as well as on cleaning, to be excessive. It also found that the public funds were improperly spent on purchases for prime minister himself.
According to the report, expenditures by the Prime Minister’s Residence on food and official hosting rose from NIS 211,000 ($54,585) in 2009 to NIS 409,000 ($105,800) in 2011. In 2012 they were slightly lower, and by 2013 they had dropped to NIS 226,000 ($58,465) following media reports, as well as inquiries by the State Comptroller’s office.
In 2010, the Netanyahus were ordering in NIS 71,851 ($18,600) worth of prepared meals (one quarter of the PM’s Residence’s food expenditures), despite the fact that they had a cook on staff. By 2011, the catering bill had gone up even further to NIS 92,781 ($24,000).