Investigation Underway Into Alleged Misuse of Israeli Prime Minister’s Residence Credit Card

Israeli police unit Lahav 433 has been investigating allegations that the housekeeper at the Prime Minister’s residence, Effi Azulai, along with another employee, used the residence’s credit card for personal expenses. The suspected purchases, which reportedly included food and various household items for their private homes, amount to tens of thousands of shekels without authorization. About six weeks ago, one of the employees was summoned for questioning by Lahav 433 investigators regarding these suspicions.

The investigation follows previous incidents involving Azulai, who was convicted two years ago for unauthorized purchases at the Prime Minister’s residence and was also investigated seven months ago for allegedly receiving benefits from a computer supplier working with the residence. Despite these issues, Azulai returned to serve as housekeeper in a contractor capacity.

In a related civil lawsuit, another employee, identified as Y., filed a claim against the Prime Minister’s Office, with his lawyer stating that Y. had informed the office’s deputy director several months ago about the suspected misuse. Y. also claimed that Azulai told him, "What you see stays between us." Azulai denied the allegations, asserting that all purchases are closely supervised and transparent.

The Prime Minister’s Office strongly rejected the claims, describing the lawsuit as baseless and accusing the employee of attempting to extort money through false accusations. The office stated that the employee was dismissed for professional reasons, including poor performance and failure to cooperate, and that the claims would be addressed in court. The Israeli police declined to comment on the report.