Lahav 433 chief to return to work, police say, following stormy interrogation

The head of the police’s major crimes unit was set to return to his post on Monday, a day after being interrogated on corruption allegations, Israel Police said in a statement.

Deputy Commissioner Manny Binyamin, who heads the Lahav 433 major crimes unit, was questioned Sunday for a third time by investigators in the Justice Ministry’s Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI).

The senior officer was first questioned last month on suspicion that he illicitly interfered in an investigation being conducted by his unit, involving a businessman with whom he maintained close ties. Last week, Hebrew media outlets reported he was also suspected of trying to promote a relative to a senior position.

At the conclusion of his third interrogation session on Sunday, investigators had him sign off on release conditions preventing him from speaking to others involved in the case, which he initially objected to.

The decision allowing him to return to work was made after Binyamin met with police chief Danny Levy and other senior officers to discuss the matter. According to Ynet, Levy spoke with DIPI head Keren Bar-Menachem and then appealed to Binymin, urging him to sign off on the release terms.

Binyamin’s lawyer, Uri Korb, said that his client initially refused to sign one of the conditions, which would have barred him from interacting with a senior officer under his command. The officer in question is reportedly Yaron Ben David, who heads Lahav’s National Unit to Combat Economic Crime.

Korb also gave a different version of events, claiming that a DIPI investigator strong-armed Binyamin into signing off on the terms — physically assaulting him and putting him under arrest for a brief period — until he obliged. The DIPI firmly rejected the lawyer’s allegations, calling them a “distortion of facts.”

“We regret… the serious allegations published by Deputy Commissioner Binyamin’s legal counsel. The claim of physical assault by a DIPI investigator is entirely unfounded; no violent incident occurred,” the agency said Sunday night.

“The delay in completing the procedure resulted solely from Deputy Commissioner Binyamin’s prolonged refusal to sign the release conditions. Once he agreed, he was immediately released,” the statement continued.

Levy and other high-ranking police have been vying for Binyamin to return to work in Lahav 433’s Lod offices ever since the scandal broke, claiming that the unit needs him at the helm. Coalition lawmakers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have accused the DIPI of overseeing a political investigation into the officer.

Binyamin is one of the highest-ranking police officers in the country. He has been promoted in rank twice during Ben Gvir’s tenure. He assumed his most recent position as head of Lahav 433 in September 2024. It is his job to oversee high-profile investigations, many involving politicians and other public figures.

Following his first interrogation session, Binyamin was released subject to limitations, including a nine-day ban on entering police facilities. He went on a week-long leave at the end of those nine days, and police announced their intention to allow him back soon after.