Bar Refaeli to face perjury, money laundering charges

The Israeli supermodel allegedly falsely claimed spending most of her time outside the country for years, avoiding paying taxes to the state.

Israeli model Bar Refaeli. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Israeli model Bar Refaeli.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli has been accused by the Tax Authority of falsely claiming to have spent time outside the country in order to avoid paying taxes, Channel 12 news reported on Sunday.
Refaeli will face court proceedings within days, Walla reported.
The model also allegedly failed to report a luxury SUV she received as a gift.
Investigators claim Refaeli was delinquent in reporting “celebrity perks” that she received, the value of which exceeded tens of thousands of shekels.
The model was also questioned about the circumstances of services rendered to her by a designer at a steep discount. Tax authorities suspect that Refaeli paid the designer – who was also questioned – NIS 40,000 for work that is believed to be valued at NIS 100,000.
The designer acknowledged that he did, in fact, give Refaeli a significant discount in exchange for her offering public relations services on his behalf.
Officials say Refaeli did not report receiving the SUV, and that in lieu of payment, she made promotional appearances and did PR work on behalf of the car manufacturer from whom she accepted the vehicle.