Gag order
lifted on case of supermodel, who was questioned for 12 hours Wednesday;
authorities allege she falsely claimed not to live in Israel, failed to
report ‘tens of millions of shekels’ in benefits
Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli in Cannes in 2011. (Shutterstock)
Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli
is being investigated for potential tax offenses, including allegedly
trying to avoid tax by falsely claiming not to be living in Israel,
Hebrew-language media reported on Thursday. The reports came after the
lifting of a Wednesday gag order that had sent gossip-mongers into
overdrive.
Refaeli,
who spent 12 hours in questioning at the Tax Authority offices in Tel
Aviv on Wednesday, was initially said to be suspected of failing to
report over NIS 1 million (some $250,000) in celebrity benefits. Later
Thursday, however, reports said the allegations concerned “tens of
millions” of shekels. She also allegedly sought to avoid tax by falsely
claiming not to be living in Israel.
Refaeli, who denies any criminal offense, has
been required to get the authorities’ permission if she wishes to leave
the country.
Refaeli is suspected of not reporting that she
had someone else pay her rent at an apartment at the luxury W
high-rises in Tel Aviv; underpaying an interior designer in exchange for
helping him with advertising; and receiving a free car from a company,
also in exchange for help with advertising, according to news site Ynet.
Refaeli’s mother was also reported to be involved in the case.
The model, whose scads of campaigns for
various companies has made her one of Israel’s most recognizable faces
on the world stage, is also a mainstay of celebrity websites and gossip
rags in Israel and the US.
But her career and jet-setting lifestyle may be cramped by the investigation.
The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court determined
Thursday that Refaeli can leave Israel only in coordination with
authorities and after depositing a sum of NIS 250,000. A third party
would also have to put up a guarantee of NIS 500,000, Ynet reported.
Earlier Thursday, while the supermodel’s name
was still under gag order, some Hebrew-language news sites tried to
circumvent it by providing hints for observant readers.
An article on news site Bizportal, captured and posted on Facebook, featured a top-down acrostic of Refaeli’s name in Hebrew.
News site Walla, while not giving Refaeli’s name in its article, nevertheless tagged the supermodel in publishing the piece.
Giora Aderet, Refaeli’s attorney, denied the suspicions against the supermodel and her mother.
“There is no drama. In the end, this is just a
civil dispute. No one cheated anyone else. It will all clear up soon,”
Aderet told the NRG news site.
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