Israel’s embattled former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked on Monday by the government that ousted him to return gifts he received from foreign leaders during his last decade-long tenure.

Unidentified sources told the Associated Press that the Prime Minister’s Office has requested that Netanyahu return any gifts he received when he occupied this office. An Israeli local outlet reported that the government was seeking the return of 42 items given to Netanyahu, including a rectangular box made of glass decorated with gold leaves with Barack Obama’s signature and the first book of the Bible from Russia President Vladimir Putin. Other gifts in question were reportedly provided by the leaders of France, Germany and the pope among others.

Reached for comment, a spokesperson for Netanyahu denied to the AP that the former premier had any of the gifts in his possession. Under Israeli law, any gift worth more than $90 in value is the property of the state of Israel and not the occupant of the prime minister’s office.

Netanyahu’s larger-than-life spending and lifestyle have not been without scrutiny throughout his 15 non-consecutive years as Israel’s prime minister. In fact, the extravagant gifts he received contributed to one of the three criminal cases against him that was filed in November 2019. Netanyahu denies all wrongdoing in any of these instances and has dismissed the cases against him as politically motivated.

Allegations of corruption were used to hammer Netanyahu on the campaign trail during the four elections that were held between 2019 and 2021. In the final election in March, Netanyahu was defeated by a wide coalition helmed by former protege-turned-rival Naftali Bennett.

These criminal cases were floating in the background when the Prime Minister’s Office began requesting a return of unaccounted gifts. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu was in Hawaii last week where he had dinner with a state witness against him, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.

Ellison’s name reportedly came up in two of the cases against Netanyahu and it was reported that he lobbied and convinced Israeli mogul Arnon Milchan to drop his lawyer so Netanyahu could hire him. Milchan was involved in the gift-giving case against Netanyahu, but is not himself under indictment. In a separate statement, Netanyahu’s spokesperson defended the meeting with Ellison, contending that the dinner did not violate any Israeli law.

Beyond the dubiousness of meeting with a witness in an open criminal case against him, Netanyahu’s Hawaii vacation was itself a manifestation of his taste for luxury.

The Jerusalem Post and the local Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 report that Netanyahu dined with Ellison at the Nobu Lanai, a posh restaurant on the Hawaiian island of Lanai. The ex-prime minister and his family were also staying at the Four Seasons Hotel on the island, which Ellison owns approximately 98% of, according to the Times of Israel.

The next hearing in Netanyahu’s criminal trial will take place on Sept. 13 in Jerusalem.

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