Police ask the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court to suspend Ashkelon Mayor Itamar Shimoni from his position.
Shimoni is suspected of a battery of offenses, notably rape and bribery, and the police request is interpreted as an indication that they intend to recommend he stand trial.
Mayor of Ashkelon, Itamar Shimoni, July 2014. (Flash90)
According to suspicions, Shimoni and his associates accepted bribes totaling hundreds of thousands of shekels from contractors and building developers in exchange for municipal approvals for various construction projects in the southern coastal city.
Meanwhile, at least three women have accused Shimoni of sexual assault, and one has accused him of rape.
According to reports in January, one witness told investigators that Shimoni used NIS 500,000 ($127,000) in kickbacks to buy the silence of a former female municipal employee whom he had sexually assaulted over a period of time.
— Tamar Pileggi contributed.
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