Israel Police arrested Tax Authority employees on suspicion of accepting bribes in exchange for granting approximately NIS 80 million in illegal tax returns, according to The Jerusalem Post. The arrests follow the earlier revelation of a state witness in the same corruption probe, as reported by The Zioneer this morning.
At 11:26 Jerusalem, The Zioneer, citing The Jerusalem Post, reported that Israel Police arrested Tax Authority employees on suspicion of accepting bribes in exchange for granting approximately NIS 80 million in illegal tax returns. The report confirms the arrests first disclosed by The Zioneer at 08:21 Jerusalem, when the desk reported that police and Tax Authority investigators had detained current and former employees in a morning raid by Lahav 433's National Fraud Investigation Unit.
The Zioneer's earlier coverage at 08:21 Jerusalem, in three successive versions, provided a detailed picture of the probe. The initial report (v1) noted the arrests and the involvement of the fraud unit, with suspects to be brought to the Ramla Magistrate's Court for a remand hearing. A second item (v2) added that false tax returns worth NIS 80 million were submitted as part of the alleged scheme. A third (v3) revealed that the investigation includes a state witness, though a gag order prohibits publishing details of the witness. A bulletin at 08:35 Jerusalem reiterated these findings.
The Tax Authority has been a focus of recent anti-corruption operations. As The Zioneer reported on July 15, a senior bank employee was arrested for allegedly stealing NIS 800,000 from clients. In another case on July 13, police and the Tax Authority uncovered a counterfeit e-cigarette lab in Nahariya. These cases underscore ongoing enforcement against financial crimes.
Specific details of the alleged bribery scheme—how bribes were solicited and how the false returns were processed—remain under investigation. The police statement did not specify the number of suspects or their identities, and the judicial process, including remand hearings, is ongoing.
5 developments
- DevelopingCourt releases main suspect in police probe; lawyer criticizes lack of evidence
- DevelopingSunday — Attorney General reportedly sent Tax Authority to deepen Goldknopf criminal probe
- DevelopingLawyer: Court found suspicion against released suspects baseless
- StrongPolice decline to extend detention; crime boss Yossi Mosli released to house arrest
Source and signal
- Internal intake