The One Israel Party was fined $3.2 million, and some of the prime minister’s top aides may face criminal charges of fraud and breach of public trust. Barak says he knew nothing of the network of offshore funds and bogus grass-roots organizations that authorities say One Israel used to circumvent caps on campaign spending; he claims he was too busy stumping for votes to notice abuses. State Comptroller Eliezer Goldberg, whose office led the investigation, slammed Barak for not responding to what he said should have been “red lights.”
Even more worrying for the prime minister, public opinion polls showed that a majority of Israelis weren’t buying his claims of ignorance. After three years of Benjamin Netanyahu–whose secretiveness and air of arrogance eventually alienated supporters–voters elected Barak largely for his unflashy style and straitlaced reputation. Now, he may not look so different after all: Netanyahu–as well as President Ezer Weizman–is also under investigation for alleged financial wrongdoing.