Police Have Evidence That Minister May Golan Directly Orchestrated Fictitious Employment of Four Workers

A few points about the investigation into Minister May Golan: 1. There is an evidentiary threshold for a journalistic investigation, and there is an evidentiary threshold for a criminal trial. Naturally, not every finding in a journalistic investigation, no matter how serious, can always be proven to the criminal standard. For example, someone who speaks to a reporter will not always testify to the police, especially if sources demand journalistic privilege, and there are many obstacles that typically arise along the way. In this case, however, which is relatively rare, in Yossi Mizrahi’s investigation on Channel 12, almost all of the main findings that appeared in the report were corroborated by evidence in the hands of Lahav 433 at the criminal standard, testimony, documents, recordings, everything needed to file an indictment.

2. Minister Golan’s most prominent way of diverting public funds was allegedly through fictitious employment. In other words, people close to her who were listed as employees in the Ministry for Social Equality received salaries, but did not work, or even worked elsewhere. One of them, for example, is Inbal Gabai, who appeared in the investigation, but others were also uncovered during the probe, such as the personal driver of senior Likud activist Haim Menachem. He received a salary from the Ministry for Social Equality, but in practice worked as Menachem’s driver. Altogether, there is evidence of fictitious employment of four workers with the minister’s involvement.

3. Minister Golan used her position as chair of the Israel-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group so that the Taiwan Embassy would transfer a donation of tens of thousands of shekels to the association "Ha'Ir Ha'Ivrit," which she effectively managed. Embassy officials did not testify to Lahav 433 because of an international convention that does not obligate diplomats to testify or be interrogated, the Foreign Ministry approached them and they refused, and the minister, as recalled, also refused to be questioned. Nevertheless, there is still evidence for prosecution in this case as well, and there is also a commitment document sent to the Taiwan Embassy detailing how the money would be used, and it was not used for that purpose.

4. There is evidence that Golan was active in the association even while she was serving as a minister, contrary to the law. Her mother, Rimona, is officially listed as chairwoman, but Golan is allegedly running it in practice. Attorney Gabai received money from the association, and also received money from the minister’s office for legal services that he allegedly did not carry out at all.

5. Minister Golan is also attributed with obstruction of justice and obstructing a police officer in the performance of duties, because of the incident in which she whisked her mother out of the police station when she was called in for questioning, and also because of the incident in which she appeared in court to support suspects instead of coming to her questioning on the day the investigation became public.

6. In total, 19 suspects were questioned in the case, and for many of them there is also an evidentiary basis for prosecution. The decision rests with the State Attorney’s Office. More on Minister Golan versus the investigations of her associates: "Women are being starved pregnant," despite the husband’s version: an indictment will be filed against May Golan’s chief of staff.