Former Postal Bank Manager Ordered to Pay Half a Million Shekels for Unauthorized Withdrawals

A magistrate court ruled that a former branch manager of Israel Postal Bank withdrew funds from a customer's account without authorization, ordering him and the bank to compensate the customer approximately 500,000 shekels. The customer, who was residing in France at the time, claimed the withdrawals were unauthorized. The manager argued he acted under a power of attorney granted by the customer, but the judge found he failed to prove this and determined he forged the customer's signatures on withdrawal slips.

The court accepted the civil lawsuit against both the manager and the Postal Bank, concluding the 2013 withdrawals were unauthorized. This decision came despite a prior criminal case where the manager was not convicted of theft but was found guilty of fraud, breach of trust, and managerial misconduct. The court also held the Postal Bank liable for negligence in supervising its employee and failing to perform basic checks such as signature verification.

The bank was ordered to pay 85% of the compensation, with the former manager responsible for the remaining 15%. The customer's lawyer praised the verdict as a recovery of the stolen funds and a warning to institutions handling public money. The former manager disputed the ruling and is considering legal options, emphasizing he was not convicted of theft or personal gain. Postal Bank Finance stated the incident occurred about 13 years ago, the manager was immediately dismissed, and the company is complying with the court order to reimburse the customer.