Central Israel Municipality Official Investigated for Bribery Scheme

Investigators from Lahav 433's National Fraud Unit have detained a senior official from a municipality in central Israel as part of an ongoing investigation into a bribery scheme. The official's home and office were searched, and digital materials and documents were seized. This latest development is part of a broader investigation that began covertly two years ago and became public in November 2025. The probe has already led to the arrest of senior figures in the Histadrut labor union, including its chairman Arnon Bar-David, and investigations into the insurance company Menora Mivtachim.

The central suspicion is that an organized mechanism facilitated the transfer of employees and insurance portfolios to the agency of insurance agent Ezra Gabay in exchange for illicit benefits. There are also suspicions of improper influence on the appointment of directors by employee committees. The investigation has been extensive, with over 71 individuals questioned as suspects and hundreds of testimonies collected, supported by thousands of documents and seized computer materials.

Sub-investigations have expanded to include local authorities, with a senior local official previously arrested upon returning from vacation abroad. A significant branch of the investigation focuses on Menora Mivtachim, where investigators searched the company's offices and questioned senior executives. The company and individual managers allegedly made payments and provided benefits to Gabay in exchange for his influence over Bar-David regarding a specific health insurance policy promoted within the Histadrut.

In the political arena, Minister of Culture and Sport Miki Zohar has been questioned multiple times on suspicion of assisting Gabay in obtaining insurance portfolios in return for mobilizing votes in primary elections. The current focus is on the local official's connections with Gabay, with investigators working to uncover the nature of the alleged illicit benefits exchanged between them.