Police arrest lawyer as part of corruption probe into Likud minister and associates

Police arrested a lawyer this morning as part of an ongoing investigation into Social Equality Minister May Golan and her associates, who are suspected of fraud, illegally pocketing the ministry’s funds, and other financial crimes.

Investigators have been probing the right-wing lawmaker for months, but this morning’s announcement marks the first time law enforcement has gone public with the case against her.

In a statement, police say that Golan and her associates are suspected of fraud, misusing public funds for private purposes, creating fictitious positions in the Social Equality Ministry, and concealing sources of funding.

All this was done through the use of NGOs and government systems as a “tool for illegally extracting funds,” police add.

Several other suspects were detained alongside the lawyer this morning and taken in for questioning at the offices of the police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit.

Police say they will bring the arrested lawyer before the Rishon LeZion Magistrate’s Court today with a request to extend his detention.

Hebrew media reports say Golan is expected to be interviewed by police over the suspicions later today.

Last month, it was reported that Golan and several prominent figures in Israeli social-welfare groups engineered an elaborate deal in which her ministry would give money to ZAKA for a program ostensibly aimed at aiding the elderly, while in reality, the money would go to her and associates.

Golan is also suspected of hiring a string of close friends and colleagues in the Social Equality Ministry, paying them salaries despite them doing no work.

These supposed employees at the ministry included the wife of Golan’s long-time legal adviser, who runs a dog grooming business but was also listed as a salaried employee in her office. The attorney himself had been paid thousands of shekels to prepare legal documents that were never filed, Channel 12 News reported earlier this year.