Sweeping Arrests in Corruption Scandal, Histadrut Leader Detained

Today, police raided the Histadrut offices and carried out a wave of arrests of senior officials in the organization and others involved in the economy as part of a serious corruption case. Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David was detained along with his partner.

The raid - which was carried out on Histadrut offices, government corporations and companies, municipalities, and 55 private homes - began this morning around 6:00. As part of it, Lahav 433 investigators arrested eight suspects and detained 27 others for questioning in the Histadrut and the economy, including two city heads and senior officials in local authorities.

As part of the investigation, which was conducted secretly for two years, senior officials in the municipalities of Rishon LeZion, Harish, Kiryat Bialik, Rosh HaAyin, and Ashdod were detained. In addition, members of workers' committees in companies such as KKL, El Al, Wingate, and Israel Railways were detained. An additional 350 people are expected to be questioned as part of the case.

The head of Lahav 433, Commissioner Manny Binyamin, said this morning after the case was made public: "This is a covert investigation that has been going on for about two years, during which suspicions of integrity offenses were uncovered, allegedly committed by public service and Israeli economy office holders. The investigation so far paints a picture of 'give and take' relationships between businessmen and various elements in the public sector. The investigation is still ongoing and more suspects are expected to be questioned in the coming days, the investigation is accompanied by the economic department of the State Attorney's Office."
 

Histadrut's response: "We are confident in the innocence of our people and are cooperating with law enforcement authorities."

Yaniv Levy, Chairman of the Information, Spokesperson and Advertising Division, recently referred to the publications about the "Hand Pressing Hand" case, and said: "We are confident in the innocence of our people and are cooperating with law enforcement authorities. Naturally, we cannot comment on ongoing proceedings. The Histadrut's activity for the public continues as usual, including all the organization's services across the country."