The sitting head of a local council in northern Israel and four other people were arrested this morning on suspicion of bribery.
Investigators in the Lahav 433 major crimes unit have for months been conducting a covert probe into suspicions of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust involving local officials across several towns in the north.
Police go public with the probe today after arresting the five suspects, detaining five others for questioning and conducting searches in the offices of local officials.
Evidence gathered so far points to bribery ties between the officials and service providers in the computing field, who allegedly offered them benefits in exchange for tenders from local government, police say.
Police also believe the suspects collaborated to fraudulently pocket public funds.
Officers plan to bring the suspects to court later today and request that a judge extend their remand.
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