Israel State Prosecutor Notifies Petah Tikva Mayor of Intent to Indict for Bribery

The State Prosecutor's Office in Israel has informed Rami Greenberg, the Mayor of Petah Tikva, of its intention to indict him on bribery charges. The notification, sent on the morning of November 15, also includes the municipality's Director-General, Yaniv Benita, and eight other individuals as suspects in the case. State Prosecutor Amit Isman will make the final decision on proceeding to trial after hearings where the suspects can present their arguments, according to Ynet.

The individuals are suspected of bribery, fraud, abuse of public trust, document forgery, and tax offenses, with charges tailored to their alleged roles. Investigators believe that during the 2018 mayoral election campaign, Greenberg accepted bribes totaling over one million shekels, primarily from businessmen and associates who covered his campaign expenses. Yaniv Benita is among those suspected of providing these bribes. In return, Greenberg allegedly took or promised actions within his official capacity, both before and after his election as mayor.

Some suspects are also accused of concealing bribes and providing false information to the state comptroller regarding campaign financing, allegedly using forged documents. Businessmen Moshe Saadon, Natanel Zara, and Amnon Ben-Ami are suspected of giving bribes to Greenberg. Four others, Moshe Greenberg, lawyers Tal Gershtein and Shai Partush, and Nir Benita, are suspected of involvement in submitting false campaign financing information.

The covert investigation began in 2021, stemming from operational intelligence. It was conducted by the National Fraud Investigation Unit of the police and the Tax Authority's "Yahalom" unit. The investigation involved 273 individuals, with 44 designated as suspects. Over 100 search warrants were executed, and police reported the seizure of assets, bank accounts, cash, and insurance policies valued at approximately 8.5 million shekels for potential confiscation.

Mayor Greenberg's lawyer, Ofer Bartal, stated that his client "categorically denies everything stated in the notice of suspicion." Bartal explained that the events occurred during a previous mayoral campaign approximately nine years ago, emphasizing the high cost of running for mayor of a large city. He asserted that all sums received were repaid with interest, even if Greenberg had lost the election, citing the 2013 campaign as an example. The lawyer claimed many allegations were based on falsehoods from someone the court had previously found to be untruthful. Bartal added that the mayor would refute all suspicions during the hearing and asked Petah Tikva residents for patience, noting Greenberg's 87% support in the last election despite prior suspicions.