Supermodel Bar Refaeli is ordered to pay £1.7 million in ‘dodged’ Israeli taxes after claiming she had been living with then-boyfriend Leonardo DiCaprio in the US
- Bar Refaeli ordered to pay £1.7m in taxes after claiming she was not resident
- Israeli supermodel claimed she was living with Leonardo DiCaprio in the States
- She raked in more than £3.5m while working between 2009 and 2010
- Judge described her accounts as ‘evasive’ and ‘contrary to common sense’
- Ms Refaeli’s legal team announced they would appeal the decision
Bar Refaeli poses at Armani Headquarters in Milan in February 2018
Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli has been ordered to pay £1.7 million in taxes after claiming she had been living with her then-boyfriend Leonardo DiCaprio in America.
Ms Refaeli, 33, was found to have lived in Israel while making millions working as a model around the world between 2009 and 2010.
Her lawyers argued during that period she was living with Hollywood star DiCaprio, 44, and was therefore not liable for domestic income tax.
But medical records produced at Lod district court showed she had bought prescription medicines and received treatment in her homeland while insured on the national health fund.
The judge’s ruling described her accounts as ‘evasive’ and claims rent paid for her lavish Tel Aviv apartment was without her knowledge as ‘contrary to common sense,’ The Times of Israel reported.
The news comes as Ms Refaeli prepares to host the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv later this week.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Ms Refaeli attending a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game together in California in 2010
DiCaprio in New York last year
The ruling published last month stated Ms Refaeli had lived in Israel for 185 days in 2009 and 135 days the following year. She also told US tax authorities she was a resident of Israel.
Ms Refaeli had attempted to block the release of her earnings, but the court revealed she had raked in £1.8 million in 2009 and £1.7 million in 2010.
Ms Refaeli’s legal team announced they would appeal the ruling, The Times reported.
Ms Refaeli and DiCaprio with his mother Irmelin Cinema at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2010
The model faces mounting legal pressure as prosecutors announced earlier this year they would indict she and her parents on suspicion of money laundering and tax evasion offences, The Times of Israel reported.
Her highly publicised relationship with DiCaprio began in 2005 and their tumultuous romance lasted until 2011.
Neither the actor nor his representatives provided evidence on their relationship or whether they had lived together.