Tel Sheva Council Head Arrested in Corruption Probe

Omar Ze'el Al-A'asam, the head of the Tel Sheva local council in southern Israel, was arrested Monday as part of a corruption investigation. His detention was extended by eight days by a court. Al-A'asam was arrested along with family members and other senior officials from the local council. The investigation is being conducted by the National Fraud Investigation Unit of Lahav 433 in cooperation with the Southern District Police.

In total, seven suspects were arrested and six others were detained for questioning. Police forces also raided the Tel Sheva council offices, conducting searches. Investigators suspect the individuals involved manipulated tenders issued by the council and engaged in bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. A further focus of the investigation is the alleged fictitious employment of workers within the local authority, with police examining whether council funds were fraudulently diverted to the private accounts of some suspects.

The investigation, which had been conducted covertly for months, became public with the arrests and searches. It is being carried out with the cooperation of the Israel Tax Authority and the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority, and is being supervised by the Economic Prosecutor's Office. The operation involved investigators from Lahav 433, Southern District Police officers, Border Police special forces, and other specialized units.