MK Nir Barkat (Likud) is the richest politician in Israel, with a monetary value of over NIS 1 billion.
A monthly salary as a Knesset member of NIS 46,000 gross is trivial for Barkat. As mayor of Jerusalem, he refrained from receiving a salary and branded himself as a man who came to work for "a shekel a year."
Yediot Ahronot reported that as soon as he was sworn in as MK for the first time in April 2019, Barkat signed a Form 101 (a commonplace form for new employees in any workplace in Israel) but he did not give the Knesset accountants his bank account details, and so the Knesset is left with nowhere to send his monthly salary.
The money is accumulated to his credit in the Knesset's bank accounts and adds up to approximately NIS 1.8 million so far.
The Knesset claimed this week that Barkat was violating the law detailed in Amendment No. 17 to the Knesset Laws which explicitly states that "a Knesset member must receive his salary."
Barkat, for his part, declined to comment on the fact that he was breaking the law or on the question of why he would not contribute the accumulated amount to charity and said in response to Yediot Ahronot: "It is a great privilege for me to serve the people of Israel without compensation. I have done so before and will continue to do so in the future."