Jerusalem Court Orders Banks to Reveal Secret Transfers in Family Inheritance Dispute

A family dispute in Jerusalem escalated to the Family Court this week after a daughter discovered that her sister had withdrawn approximately one million shekels from their late mother's joint bank account, labeling the transfers as "gifts." The daughter alleged that these were not isolated incidents; following their mother's death, the sister continued to withdraw tens of thousands of shekels more, categorizing them as "gifts" or "routine expenses." Banks initially refused to disclose full account details without a court order, prompting the daughter to initiate legal proceedings to obtain all bank statements, balances, closure documents, and correspondence to clarify the true extent of the estate.

The sister who made the transfers denied wrongdoing, claiming the money was transferred with their mother's full consent and authorization, and dismissed the request for detailed banking information as an unfounded "fishing expedition." However, Judge Orit Avigail Yahalomi ruled decisively in favor of the daughter, stating that an heir steps into the shoes of the deceased and is entitled to critical banking information to assess the estate's scope. The judge emphasized that even a joint account does not block the right to review, especially when there are serious allegations of funds being transferred to exclude another heir.

The court ordered Bank Yahav and Bank Hapoalim to provide the daughter with all relevant banking information from the time of the father's death until the accounts were closed. Due to the sister's persistent refusal to comply, she was ordered to pay 5,000 shekels in legal costs to her sibling. This ruling adds to a series of similar inheritance disputes resolved by Israeli family courts, highlighting the importance of transparency in managing elderly parents' finances and the legal complications that arise from unexplained money transfers.

The forthcoming bank documents are expected to shed light on the full extent of the financial transfers and enable the daughter to evaluate her inheritance rights properly.