Internal Likud file flags Herzliya branch as the main source of suspected membership-payment irregularities

An internal Likud document obtained by ynet says the party’s Herzliya branch, headed by former criminal Rafi Kadushim, has the largest number of members flagged for possible irregularities in membership-fee payments. The file lists 776 of Herzliya’s 2,326 registered members as “under review,” amid suspicions they did not pay from an account in their own name or that of a first-degree relative. Kadushim is described as the dominant figure in the branch, and ynet recently reported that he was appointed political adviser to Minister May Golan.

The revelations come amid a wider storm inside Likud over suspected illegal payments for party membership, following a State Comptroller report that said in thousands of cases dues were paid using the same payment method for members with different surnames, apparently with no family connection. The comptroller said 28,000 of about 130,000 Likud members were suspect. Likud, however, believes many of those cases involve payments by close family members, which the party says is common practice.

The internal file reviewed by ynet covers only about 4,000 members across the party marked as “code 55” and does not necessarily prove anyone paid improperly. It includes members with no identifiable payment method and others whose dues were paid by a credit card used for four or more members. The party also says postal bank credit cards created a loophole because they do not identify the payer.

After Herzliya, the branches with the most flagged members are Jerusalem with 297 of 6,900 members, Rishon Lezion with 162 of 5,773, Beit Shean with 160 of 1,301, Bnei Brak’s Betar Illit branch with 156 of 907, and Tel Aviv-Kfar Shalem with 149. Among those named in the list are five members of the Kadushim family, Jerusalem organizer Itzik Kaufman and two relatives, and Dudu Lenyado, who denied paying for others and said the code refers to members who paid through postal cards.

In response, Likud plans to require those in the file to repay or prove they paid themselves, or lose the right to vote in primaries. The party has also shut down payment by postal credit card or other unidentified means, and now allows family payments only for up to four relatives per payment method. The Likud court said members may need to sign a renewed declaration that they paid personally, while party legal adviser Avi Halavi is calling for a broader external investigation. Likud said earlier this month that it would conduct a thorough review and take the necessary steps to fix the flaws.