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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1121041.html
Comptroller: Barak spent NIS 527,000 on Paris accomodation
By Tomer Zarchin, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Ehud Barak, Israel news

State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss issued a report on Wednesday that harshly criticized the exaggerated expenses on the part of a Defense Ministry delegation to an air show in Paris last June.

The report blames severe organizational failures, for the air show delegation's extreme expenses, which included a 2,500 euros per night tab for Defense Minister Ehud Barak's suite in the Intercontinental Hotel in Paris.

The lodging expenses for Barak and his entourage for four nights totaled 527,000 euros, according to the report, and one-third of the expenses were for hotel rooms that weren't even used, wasting about 313,000 euros.


The air show in Paris takes place every two years, and it is considered one of the most important exhibitions in the field and as the "flagship" exhibition for the Defense Ministry.

In June 2009, the air show marked its centennial, and the delegation, which originally consisted of 58 people, left Israel with 40 additional participants.

The extended entourage included Barak, his wife Nili Priel, and his staff totaling 16 participants, as well as an additional group including 24 participants, among them 17 officials from the Defense Ministry, and three Army Radio representatives, totaling the cost of the delegation lodging to about 944,000 euros.

The report finds that once the delegation learned that there may be limited room in Paris hotels due to the centennial celebration, the Defense Ministry started trying to find suitable lodgings for the defense minister and his entourage and found that the only available accommodations were at the Intercontinental Hotel, which set strict limits, including a demand the delegation book more nights than it required for its visit.

Labor Party members Ophir Pines-Paz, Amir Peretz, Yuli Tamir and Eitan Cabel, who are in opposition to Barak, said following the report's publication that "the report indicates Barak's public insensitivity, complete disregard for the state funds, and lack of proportion as displayed in his ostentatious behavior."

The four Labor rebels also said that the report puts in question Barak's demands for the defense budget and they demanded that Barak ensure the wasted money be returned to the state budget.

"His behavior is a disgrace to the Labor Party and proves that Barak is unworthy of representing it," the four rebels added.

Labor MK Shelly Yachimovich also reacted to the report, saying "the comptroller's findings about Barak's trip to Paris raise contempt."

"It is inconceivable that the Defense Minister and his wife should stay in a fancy hotel at the expense of Israeli citizens, while they struggle with tough financial restrictions," she added.

Opposition leader and Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni also spoke in Herzliya on Wednesday about government corruption in general.

"We should not only relate to the illegal aspects. Every person should be guided by an inner compass and the judiciary system is there to handle all those who are lacking one."
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