Kfar Saba Mayor, Wife Remain Detained in Bribery Scandal

A Rishon LeZion Magistrate's Court extended the arrest of Kfar Saba Mayor Rafi Saar and his wife, Mital Saar, for an additional four days on Monday. They are suspected of receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels in bribes from businessmen as part of the "Derech El HaKfar" affair. The extension was granted at the request of Lahav 433's National Fraud Unit (YAHA) until Thursday, when they are expected to be released to house arrest. The extension was agreed upon by the defense attorneys, Micha Patman for the mayor and Haya Zion Zakai for his wife. Zakai requested consideration for her client's mental state and release to an alternative detention arrangement. Judge Yuval Kedar remarked that the detention was "in the final stretch," and Zakai agreed to the extension.

YAHA investigators informed the court that they would agree to release the couple to house arrest under conditions set by YAHA after the four-day detention ends on Thursday at 1 p.m. Superintendent Ilan Yanco noted that there was no guarantee of house arrest, and that further detention could be requested if "a dramatic development occurs in the investigation." The police seized one million shekels in cash from 17 suspects arrested and seven detained in the case. Approximately 300,000 shekels of this total were found in the home of Mayor Saar and his wife, where most of the cash, along with luxury watches and bags, was located.

The public corruption case was revealed last week. Investigators suspect that in exchange for bribe money, primarily transferred in cash, the mayor and the CEO of the Municipal Economic Company with significant involvement from the mayor's wife, acted to benefit those offering the bribes, leading to their winning numerous significant tenders. The mayor's wife has remained silent during her interrogation, while her husband maintains his innocence, stating, "I did not take a single shekel." At this stage, each spouse is conducting an independent defense through their respective lawyers.

Businessman Eitan Sapir's arrest was also extended for four days, with his attorney Tzion Amir agreeing to his release to house arrest afterward. Businessman Eliran Dustan was released to 10 days of house arrest, with his attorney Rali Avishar's agreement. Judge Kedar permitted both to leave detention on election day to vote. The hearing also addressed businessman Efraim Kahlon, who allegedly won a city-wide food truck tender and, according to suspicion, issued Mital Saar a personal credit card linked to a digital bank account in Italy. Additionally, a contract was found during searches between Kahlon and the mayor's wife for a 2.5 million shekel loan, signed April 17. It is currently unknown if the money was transferred. Kahlon claims he does not recall signing the loan agreement. Police have not yet determined if the credit card was used or who deposited funds into the digital account.

Meanwhile, the District Court in Lod rejected the police's appeal on Friday, and CEO was released to house arrest. YAHA investigators suspect the CEO of the Municipal Economic Company is a central figure in the alleged bribery operation run by the mayor and his wife. The CEO of the Municipal Economic Company has refused to provide passwords for his mobile phone and computers, citing client privilege as he is a lawyer. Investigators believe a public official controlled vast budgets and was responsible for projects like cleaning educational institutions, acting on the demands of the mayor and his wife. This suspicion was significantly strengthened by witness testimonies linking the mayor to the actions he allegedly performed for businessmen. The suspected modus operandi involved businessmen approaching the mayor's wife, leading to a "give and take" relationship where she allegedly worked to ensure they won tenders and city projects. Police suspect that to conceal favoritism and tender manipulation, projects were transferred from the municipality to the Municipal Economic Company, with coordination between the couple and the CEO of the Municipal Economic Company, who allegedly knew in advance who was slated to win tenders.