Mayor's Wife Allegedly Ran City Hall in Corruption Scandal

The year-long covert investigation, which began in May 2025 with evidence dating back to 2019, uncovered a widespread scheme to rig lucrative municipal tenders in exchange for cash bribes. Investigators suspect that the local authority head and the economic company's CEO, with the active and significant involvement of the politician's wife, granted favors to businessmen to ensure they won tenders in sectors such as education, transportation, and urban renewal.

According to Maariv, investigators suspect the wife acted as the de facto head of the municipality, receiving cash and working behind the scenes to direct processes toward specific business owners. The investigation is also examining the couple's lavish lifestyle, which reportedly far exceeded their legal income, and has uncovered the involvement of known criminal elements from central Israel and the Sharon region who allegedly received tenders and engaged in violent offenses.

During searches of homes and businesses, police seized significant amounts of cash and property. The suspects face charges of bribery, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, and tax offenses. The case is being overseen by the economic department of the State Prosecutor's Office, and police intend to request extensions of detention for several suspects at the Rishon LeZion Magistrate's Court.