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Kfar Saba Mayor, Wife, Arrested in Major Corruption Probe
Kfar Saba Mayor Rafi Saar and his wife, Mital Ben-Adi, were arrested on Monday, October 12, 2026, as part of a sweeping corruption investigation led by the Lahav 433 National Fraud Unit. The year-long probe, which became public with raids on 30 locations, involves allegations of bribery, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, and tax offenses. A total of 17 suspects were arrested, including the CEO of the municipal economic development company, while seven others were detained for questioning.
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What happened
- 01Kfar Saba Mayor Rafi Saar and his wife, Mital Ben-Adi, were arrested on Monday in a major corruption probe.
- 02The Lahav 433 unit arrested 17 suspects and detained seven others after a year-long covert investigation.
- 03Police suspect the couple accepted cash bribes to rig municipal tenders worth tens of millions of shekels.
- 04The rigged tenders involved services such as school renovations, city cleaning, and food truck permits.
- 05Investigators found hundreds of thousands of shekels in cash during a search of the mayor's home.
- 06The probe is examining the couple's lavish lifestyle and potential ties to organized crime elements in central Israel.
- 07Mayor Saar temporarily suspended his duties, with Deputy Mayor Dani Harush assuming his responsibilities during the investigation.
Police suspect that Saar and his wife orchestrated a mechanism to rig lucrative municipal tenders, worth tens of millions of shekels, in exchange for cash bribes. The affected tenders reportedly covered diverse municipal services, including educational facility renovations, sanitation, street lighting, transportation, and mobile food vendor permits. Investigators believe the mayor's wife, despite holding no official position, acted as a central intermediary to facilitate these deals for businessmen.
During searches, police uncovered large sums of cash, luxury goods, and vehicles, including hundreds of thousands of shekels at Saar's home. Investigators are also examining the couple's lavish lifestyle, potential links to organized crime elements in central Israel, and allegations that criminal figures were used to influence local elections or issue threats. Saar, who has served as mayor since 2018, announced a temporary suspension of his duties and pledged full cooperation, with Deputy Mayor Dani Harush assuming his responsibilities.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 9 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: The Jerusalem Post. Read The Jerusalem Post’s original
The coverage
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