By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
An illegal migrant worker from the Philippines was employed in the Tel Aviv penthouse of Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Israel Radio revealed on Tuesday morning.
According to the report, the woman, who does not have a work permit, was hired occasionally by Barak's wife Nili to clean their Tel Aviv apartment and prepare it for gatherings.
The report stressed that the worker did not undergo a background check, even though she had access to the defense minister's home.
Barak responded to the report by saying that the woman had been employed by his family only occasionally and was not working for them anymore.
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz defended Barak, saying that the defense minister had merely made a mistake. But he said the report was an important reminder that no one was above the law and anyone who violated it would be punished.
Israel Beiteinu MK Moshe Matalon and National Union MK Arye Eldad related the revelations about Barak to his enforcement of the construction freeze in Judea and Samaria.
Eldad said Barak had behaved hypocritically and immorally.
"The same man who is so adamant about enforcing the freeze to the letter of the law must sit at home one day and do some soul searching," Matalon said.
The incident was the third embarrassing report about Barak's personal life in recent months. It follows allegations that he spent a huge amount of taxpayers' money on a posh suite while attending the Paris Air Salon, and that he improperly accepted an upgrade to first class on a recent El Al flight home from New York.
Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.
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