Police arrest Kfar Saba mayor, wife, suspected of receiving bribes to rig tenders

Police on Monday arrested Kfar Saba Mayor Rafi Sa’ar and his wife, along with 15 other suspects, this morning on suspicion of receiving bribes from individuals, some of them criminals, in exchange for tenders in various fields within the local authority.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, an over a year-long undercover investigation by the Lahav 433 special crimes unit determined that bribes worth millions of shekels flowed throughout the entire tender period, a year after Sa’ar was elected.

A senior official within the unit told the Maariv daily that the details relate to offenses starting from 2019, and that the investigation began last year in May.

The probe found that known criminal elements in central Israel were involved in handling the bribes in exchange for winning tenders, Israel Police said in a statement, adding that the criminals committed violent acts during the period.

According to Kan, the mayor’s wife, Meital Sa’ar, was in direct contact with the various businessmen and individuals with financial interests, some of them criminals, in exchange for cash.

Those involved knew that a give-and-take relationship with the mayor’s wife was key so that she would operate behind the scenes to ensure they were favored to win tenders, Kan reported.

According to the police, the mayor and the head of a financial firm would act to ensure the granting of tenders to the bribers.

The cash received was allegedly used by Meital Sa’ar for international trips and luxury items, Kan reported, noting that the mayor drove a Tesla, while his wife drove an Audi. Bags of organized cash were reportedly found during a police search of their home on Monday.

Additionally, police reportedly discovered that criminal elements helped Sa’ar get elected by vote buying and convincing other candidates to drop out.

Police suspected that the suspects committed crimes including public corruption, bribery, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, tax offenses, and more.

Police on Monday morning arrested 17 people, including the Sa’ar couple and the head of the financial firm, who has yet to be identified. Seven others were detained for questioning.

In response to the allegations, Mayor Sa’ar said in a statement that he understood “the concern and the questions” and that he intended to cooperate with the investigation.

“I believe that the investigation will allow the full picture to be presented. Due to the ongoing probe, I cannot comment on the details now. I would like to avoid drawing conclusions before the facts are clear,” he said.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.