Israeli Deputy Mayor Faces Corruption Charges Over Multi-Million Shekel Tender Fraud

A serious indictment was filed today at the Central District Court in Lod against Noam Sasson, the current deputy mayor of Be'er Ya'akov, along with two contractors and other involved parties. The State of Israel, represented by Attorney Elhanan Dreyfus from the Central District Prosecutor's Office, accuses the defendants of multiple offenses related to public corruption and breach of trust, severely damaging public confidence and the municipal budget through tenders worth millions of shekels.

According to the indictment, Sasson exploited his role as the engineering portfolio holder between 2019 and 2020 to advance the financial interests of associates. Prosecutors claim he acted in a severe conflict of interest, committing fraud and breach of trust to secure contracts for his friend Giora Shabtai to renovate educational institutions in the town. As a result, Shabtai and others illicitly profited over one million shekels from the municipality, alongside related money laundering offenses.

A separate charge details how Sasson used similar connections to unlawfully secure another renovation tender worth tens of thousands of shekels for a childhood friend. A central aspect of the case involves a transportation services tender in Be'er Ya'akov, planned for three years and valued at over 20 million shekels. Sasson allegedly conspired with his business partner and transportation contractor Eliyahu Da'awan to fraudulently win this tender. The scheme began when the Ministry of Justice's Conflict of Interest Committee disqualified Da'awan's company due to shared land ownership with Sasson. To circumvent this, they falsely portrayed a dissolution of their partnership and sale of shares, while continuing joint ownership and forming new real estate partnerships.

The indictment also reveals alleged attempts by Sasson to obstruct justice and intimidate witnesses during the investigation. Evidence shows Sasson aggressively confronted and verbally abused the municipality's engineer for testifying to police, leading to charges of threats and witness harassment. Additional charges against Sasson include fraud, breach of trust, receiving benefits by deception, and perjury. Shabtai faces charges of bribery, money laundering, and tax offenses involving millions of shekels, while other defendants are charged with false corporate documentation and fraud. The case follows an extensive investigation by the Lahav 433 unit.