Barak's wife closes contentious business

After corruption allegations, Nili Priel says Tauris was totally legal but could be used to harm husband.

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN, JPOST.COM STAFF
Barak me hungry 224.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Barak me hungry 224.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
The wife of Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Nili Priel, decided to close her consulting company, Tauris, on Wednesday, after Channel 10 alleged that the company had helped an American businessman exploit the minister's connections for commercial purposes. "The company's work was part of my business activity over the past decades, was completely legal, and I reported everything necessary to the relevant authorities," Priel said in a statement. "Over the last few days I realized this was not enough, and I understood that in outward appearance... my business could be used to harm Ehud Barak personally. Therefore, I have decided to close the business and to alert all relevant authorities [about this] in the next few days." On Monday, American businessman David Fisher denied the claim that the company had put him in touch with Barak, or that the defense minister had helped him with his ventures. He said that he had hired the services of Priel's company so he could meet other people involved in businesses that he had been researching, and that Barak was in no way part of this initiative. On Sunday, Yediot Aharonot reported that Tauris helped companies, funds and families interested in investing gain access to leading "Israeli businesses and trend-setters." When asked why a man with his connections would need to hire a company such as Tauris, Fisher said that despite his success, he was not connected in Israel, and this was "why [I] spoke to Nili."