Television host Bar Refaeli suspected of tax evasion in Israel

Israel’s tax authority said Thursday that international supermodel Bar Refaeli and her mother are suspected of tax evasion for allegedly not reporting millions of dollars in income earned abroad and on luxury items.

Refaeli’s mother Zipora was also taken into custody.

Agence-France Presse reports that Israeli investigators suspect Refaeli lied about where she lived and didn’t declare a number of assets:

Refaeli is also suspected of receiving benefits of “over a million shekels” ($257,000, 237,000 euros) in the form of free accommodation in luxury apartments and cars she did not report, Israel’s Tax Authority said in a statement.

The Israeli Tax Authority also reportedly suspected Refaeli and her mother of leaving the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars in Israeli shekels undeclared. They described a scheme in which Refaeli and her mother “created the false appearance of the top model residing outside of Israel” and lived in apartments rented under her mother’s and brother’s names, the AFP reports.

Israel’s tax squad ran undercover investigations of the 30-year-old model and say she also received numerous free perks, such as a Lexus and a Range Rover, which she never reported as assets.

Refaeli and her mother were released on bail after their arrests Wednesday. The AFP reports that the two had to surrender their passports, and they may not leave Israel for six months without permission from authorities.

Agencies/Canadajournal

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