i24NEWSSecurity22:02

Kfar Saba Mayor and Wife Detained Amid Corruption Probe

By i24NEWS, משה שטיינמץ

Translated & summarized from i24NEWS by baba

CenterNeutral tone

Hebrew · 2 newsrooms covering

Kfar Saba Mayor Rafi Sa'ar and his wife were arrested on suspicion of serious corruption, along with 17 others. Police believe the value of luxury items and vacations involved exceeds cash seized. Sa'ar claimed the money belonged to his wife and predated their marriage. The arrests followed a year-long wiretapping operation.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Kfar Saba Mayor Rafi Sa'ar and his wife were arrested on suspicion of corruption.
Police estimate the value of luxury goods and vacations involved exceeds seized cash.
Sa'ar claimed the money belonged to his wife and predated their marriage.
The investigation followed a year-long wiretapping operation against the couple.
Seventeen other individuals, including municipal employees, were also arrested.

Rafi Sa'ar, the Mayor of Kfar Saba, and his wife were arrested this week on suspicion of serious corruption offenses, alongside 17 others including municipal employees and the CEO of the city's economic company. The arrests followed a year-long wiretapping operation against Sa'ar and his wife. Police estimate that the value of luxury goods, lavish vacations, and vehicles involved in the case exceeds the hundreds of thousands of shekels seized in cash. During questioning, Sa'ar claimed the seized money belonged to his wife and predated their marriage, stating he was unaware of its source and that they maintained separate bank accounts. He asserted, "I don't get into her financial affairs." Investigators have not yet confronted Sa'ar with the wiretap evidence. Police Affairs Correspondent Moshe Steinmetz reported new details from the investigation on i24NEWS, including explanations for the cash found at the couple's home and other involved parties' residences.