Police say case involving Minister Mai Golan and associates has been handed to prosecutors

Unit Lahav 433 has completed a months-long investigation into Minister Golan and public officials close to her. The suspicions include bribery, fraud and breach of trust, forgery of documents and obstruction of proceedings, and the case has been transferred to the State Attorney’s Office for review and a decision, police said today (Wednesday).

After a covert investigation that lasted several months and was approved by the Attorney General, the unit moved in September 2025 to an open investigation. The main suspicions include a series of offenses, bribery, fraud and breach of trust, obtaining something by fraud under aggravated circumstances, forgery with intent to obtain something, obstruction of justice and hindering a police officer in the performance of duty. Dozens of suspects and witnesses were questioned as part of the investigation.

The investigation was conducted with the Tel Aviv District Prosecutor’s Office, Taxation and Economic Crime, and after all investigative steps were completed, the head of Lahav 433, Superintendent Meni Binyamin, and the head of the Israel Police Investigations and Intelligence Division, Superintendent Boaz Bult, approved transferring the case file for the prosecution’s review and decision.

As reported, the corruption case around Minister Golan includes suspicions that she sought to promote improper appointments and influence decisions by senior officials in government ministries. Additional senior figures were also investigated in the case, including acting Prime Minister’s Office director general Drorit Steinmetz, whom Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said could not continue in her post because of the criminal investigation against her.

In recent weeks, other senior officials also appeared for questioning at Lahav 433 offices, including a director general of a government ministry identified with the Shas party. The director general of the Religious Services Ministry, Yehuda Avidan, was questioned on suspicion of preventing the dismissal of a kashrut manager at a religious council, with the main suspicion being that he barred the head of the religious council from firing the employee because of his party affiliation. Avidan’s attorney said his client had demanded that the head of the religious council hold a lawful hearing and not fire the employee unlawfully.

The Golan case joins a series of corruption investigations carried out in recent months against senior officials in the public sector. In recent months, senior Histadrut officials have also been investigated, including Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David in the “Hand in Hand” case, as well as the deputy mayor of Nahariya and 13 other suspects on suspicion of bribery and manipulating tenders.

Now that the investigation has been completed, the file will go to the prosecution, which will decide whether to file an indictment against the suspects or close the case. The prosecution’s decision is expected in the coming months.