Hadera mayor, top officials held on corruption charges

Hadera Mayor Haim Avitan and 12 other senior municipal officials, including Avitan’s brother, were arrested Sunday morning on charges of bribery, fraud, money laundering, breach of trust and tax violations.

Police said the arrests were the result of a months-long undercover investigation, and that in addition to the arrests, offices in the municipality, several companies and the homes of the suspects were raided and searched.

Authorities have long suspected the Hadera municipality as being a center of financial irregularities, Israel Radio reported. An investigation into the mayor’s appointment of close associates to position of power in the city was closed last month due to lack of evidence.

In February, Avitan’s car and a municipal storage facility were torched by unknown assailants in what police said at the time were related incidents.