Supermodel and cover girl Bar Refaeli was being closely examined for tax evasion because Israeli authorities believe she failed to declare “celebrity benefits” such as free cars, underpaid a designer and did not pay taxes on her luxury apartment in Tel Aviv.
Representatives for the beauty calls the probe payback for a dispute with the Israeli government over whether Bar is a resident of Israel for tax purposes.
Bar reportedly considers herself an expatriate, and believes she needs to pay less taxes.
Bar and her mother were briefly detained yesterday. Bar was released on $192,500 bail.
Their passports were confiscated and the pair forbidden to travel abroad for six months without court approval. A court also declared the model must post $65,000 bail before leaving the country.
Tax officials suspect Bar failed to pay about $10,000 owed on her Tel Aviv apartment and paid a designer less than half his normal fee in exchange for promoting him. She is also suspected of not declaring a Range Rover and a Lexus she received in exchange for posing for photos with the cars.
“There is no drama,” said Bar’s lawyer, Giora Aderet. “In the end, this is just a civil dispute. No one cheated anyone else. It will all clear up soon.”
