Petah Tikva Mayor to Face Charges in Bribery and Fraud Probe
Translated & summarized from TheMarker by baba
Petah Tikva Mayor Rami Greenberg and eight others, including the Director-General, will face charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust pending a hearing. The investigation centers on the financing of Greenberg's 2018 election campaign, with allegations that businesspeople funded it in exchange for preferential treatment. The probe, spanning five years, also uncovered falsified reports to the Ministry of Interior for campaign expense reimbursements. Greenberg was previously arrested in 2022 and again in February after a state witness provided crucial evidence.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Petah Tikva Mayor Rami Greenberg will be indicted for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
- The charges stem from the financing of Greenberg's 2018 election campaign, allegedly involving businesspeople.
- The municipality's Director-General, Yaniv Benita, and eight others are also facing indictment.
- Investigators suspect campaign funds were used to secure municipal tenders and preferential treatment.
- Falsified reports to the Ministry of Interior for campaign expense reimbursements were allegedly submitted.
- A state witness provided significant evidence after signing an agreement with prosecutors.
The State Prosecutor's Office announced Sunday that Rami Greenberg, the Mayor of Petah Tikva, will be indicted for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, pending a hearing. Also facing charges are the municipality's Director-General, Yaniv Benita, and eight other suspects, including businesspeople. The investigation, which began five years ago, focused on the financing of Greenberg's 2018 election campaign, which led to his first mayoral victory.
Authorities suspect that contractors and businesspeople financed Greenberg's campaign with hundreds of thousands of shekels in exchange for his commitment to appoint Benita as Director-General. This appointment, they allege, was intended to secure municipal tenders and preferential treatment in projects and job appointments for the financiers.
According to police, 273 individuals were investigated in the case, with 44 identified as suspects. Assets totaling 8.5 million shekels were seized. The investigation also revealed that Greenberg's faction received approximately 3 million shekels in reimbursement from the Ministry of Interior post-election, based on falsified expense and donation reports. Many funds transferred to the faction were not reported and were misrepresented as legal donations from citizens unaware of their alleged contributions.
This aligns with a 2022 Haaretz report indicating severe irregularities in Greenberg's faction's donation reporting, as found by the State Comptroller's office. The comptroller noted unusually large cash donations without adequate explanation from the faction. Haaretz also revealed footage from the same year where Greenberg discussed giving campaign donation money to his former campaign manager, Rahli Fridong, as salary during the 2018 local elections. Greenberg stated he took Fridong to meetings with a donor and Likud officials, mentioning a 5,000 shekel check donation and telling her to take it for her expenses. Fridong, however, claims she never received the donation money Greenberg referred to.
Greenberg was first arrested in August 2022 and held for a week with other suspects. They were released as police could not prove how they operated since Greenberg took office. He was re-arrested in February, two months after a breakthrough when a state witness agreement was signed with a key figure. This witness provided tens of thousands of files supporting the suspicions against Greenberg and others regarding their alleged criminal conduct in managing the election campaign.
Mentioned
