24 Suspects Arrested in Major Public Corruption Probe

The Israeli National Fraud Unit (יאח"ה) of Lahav 433, a special police investigative unit, arrested and detained 24 suspects on Tuesday morning in connection with a large-scale public corruption investigation. Among those apprehended are a regional council head in central Israel, his wife, and the CEO of an economic company.

The investigation, which has been ongoing secretly for over a year, is looking into allegations of bribery, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, and tax offenses. Police suspect that the regional council head and the economic company's CEO, with the unusual involvement of the council head's wife, accepted bribes, primarily in cash, in exchange for awarding lucrative tenders to specific businesses within the local authority.

The probe also uncovered the involvement, direct or indirect, of known criminal elements from central Israel in the bribery scheme and in violent offenses, in return for winning tenders. The transition to a public investigation on Tuesday morning led to the arrest of 17 suspects, including the key figures mentioned. Seven additional individuals were detained for questioning.

During the operation, extensive searches were conducted at offices and businesses, resulting in the seizure of cash and assets. The investigation is being supervised by the Economic Department of the State Prosecutor's Office. All suspects have been transferred to Lahav 433 for further interrogation, and authorities are expected to request extensions of their detention at the Rishon LeZion Magistrate's Court.