Krayot municipality official among six arrested on suspicion of corruption
Member of planning and construction committee was reportedly targeted by local criminals in the past; two of his sons among those arrested
A senior municipal official in the Krayot area in northern Israel was arrested on Tuesday morning on suspicion of corruption, police said.
The unnamed official, a member of an unspecified municipality’s planning and construction committee, was arrested alongside five other people in connection with the suspicions.
The other suspects include two of the official’s sons and contractors who work in the Krayot area.
According to police, the senior official is suspected of taking advantage of his position to assist contractors and people of interest in exchange for personal benefits.
The arrests on Tuesday followed a covert investigation conducted over the past few months by the Israel Police together with the Israel Tax Authority and the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority.
According to the Walla news site, the senior official was targeted by local criminals in the past, apparently in connection with his alleged corruption.
A few months ago, the report said, stun grenades were thrown at his home, and a few years ago, he was found stabbed.
Following the arrests, police searched the homes and offices of the suspects.
They are suspected of various offenses ranging from giving and receiving bribes, aggravated fraud, money laundering, breach of trust, criminal threats and tax evasion.
A state comptroller report published in 2017 had already pointed to issues with the conduct of the planning committee that the arrested official was part of.
“The activity of the responsible parties in the committee was found to be consistently faulty,” the report said. “The findings point to serious problems with the committee’s process of licensing construction projects and maintaining planning regulations within its designated area.”
In January, Israel received its worst-ever score in a global ranking of how countries tackle government graft.
Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, which measures the perception of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, gave Israel a score of 59 out of 100. It received a score of 60 in 2020, and scored 64 in 2016.
The Times of Israel Community.