Fourteen suspects were arrested, including a deputy mayor from a northern municipality, alongside major crime organizers, on suspicion of corruption, bribery, and other offenses, the Israel Police announced on Tuesday.
The raid, which stemmed from an ongoing year-long investigation led by the National Economic Crime Unit within Lahav 433, in cooperation with the Tax Authority, resulted in the seizure of luxury vehicles, a yacht, and real estate holdings, among other assets worth millions of shekels.
Approximately 20 targets in total were raided in northern Israel by Lahav 433, the Tax Authority, and the Border Police.
The arrested individuals are suspected of involvement in serious public corruption offenses, including bribery, fraud, breach of trust, bid rigging, money laundering, and tax offenses.
The Nahariya Municipality released a statement confirming that the investigation involved its personnel, adding that "Mayor Ronen Marly has instructed all relevant parties and all municipal employees to fully cooperate with the investigative and law enforcement authorities."
The city did not confirm which of its personnel had been involved.
Police suspect systematic, ongoing infiltration of criminal elements
According to the police, the findings of the investigation "raise grave suspicions of a systematic and ongoing infiltration of criminal elements into the municipality's decision-making processes, established through illicit ties with senior officials."
These ties allegedly enabled criminals to seize control of key power centers within the community, notably the Tenders Committee and the Planning and Building Committee.
The investigation revealed that criminals conspired with contractors and senior municipal employees to advance mutual interests by rigging tenders, which decide which private companies get hired to do public work, through bribery and other illicit benefits.
The criminals then forced other contractors out of municipal tenders, and senior municipal employees worked to ensure that criminal entities won the tenders and received expanded building rights.
According to the police, officials leaked insider information to criminal elements before it was made available to the general public. Municipal operations were thus seized by the criminals, who pocketed millions through this method.
Suspects will be brought to the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court for deliberations regarding the extension of their detention, and further arrests are expected.
