Police recommend indicting Netanya mayor

Miriam Feirberg Photo: Eyal Yizhar
Miriam Feirberg Photo: Eyal Yizhar

Miriam Feirberg allegedly accepted bribes, abetted by her son and ex-husband.

The Israel Police is recommending the indictment of Netanya Mayor Miriam Feirberg. The police today announced the completion of its investigation of the affair, and said that it had gathered incriminating evidence of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust by Feirberg; an attempt to solicit a bribe by Adv. Eliyahu Feirberg, her ex-husband; and bribery by Adv. Tsafrir Feirberg, her son.

The police said that incriminating evidence had also been gathered of bribery by Adv. Avraham Gugig, contractors, and real estate wheeler-dealers, and breach of trust by former Netanya municipal engineer Paul Vitel.

Israel Police National Fraud Unit Lahav 433 has completed its investigation, and has found incriminating evidence that Feirberg and members of her family conspired through Gugig with various developers having interests in Netanya, whether directly or indirectly, including through a trust in order to conceal their identities. Among other things, they received from the contractors and developers the right to acquire a partnership in various projects at significantly reduced cost. Miriam Feirberg allegedly gained the right to an apartment at a reduced price, in some cases reflected a benefit amounting to hundreds of thousands of shekels.

The option of buying rights at the development stage, before the land was rezoned as residential, which was not available to the general public, and which was given to the mayor, involved upgrading the property and its future value, and constituted a benefit amounting to tens of millions of shekels.

The rezoning of this land by the responsible municipal agencies subject to the mayor's authority constitutes evidence of bribery. In return for providing the mayor and the other suspects with right to purchase some of the land/apartment, the mayor promoted the planning and construction processes for various projects in Netanya and in the HPT Development and Infrastructure company, which she headed in her position as mayor.

The police said that during the investigation, a pattern had emerged of widespread criminal activity by the mayor and members of her family in a number of events involving a number of projects. The evidence shows the existence of systematic relations of bribery between the mayor and members of her family and a number of different parties. The method employed included the purchase of part of a lot in partnership with the developers with concealment by a trust, so that their identities would be concealed from the public, and their names would not appear in the records open for public perusal. They deliberately refrained from making official reports to parties with interests in various lots in Netanya, while the mayor at the same time continued to take part in discussions in the planning committees dealing, among other things, with issues related to the future of the land on which the properties were located.

Members of the mayor's family are also suspected of abetting bribery, in which they took an active part. As a lawyer handling various projects, Tsafrir Feirberg is suspected of receiving millions of shekels "allegedly in payment" supplied by third parties, which he did not report.

Eliyahu Feirberg is suspect of have received a monetary bribe for using his influence on behalf of rezoning in one project.

As part of the investigation, testimony was taken from dozens of parties involved, searches were conducted, and documents and exhibits were seized. In cooperation with the Israel Tax Authority, some of the suspects were also questioned on suspicion of tax violations. The Tax Authority's conclusions will be announced separately.

With the end of the investigation, the police are delivering all their findings, evidence and materials gathered to the State Prosecutor's economic division, which has accompanied the investigation, for its perusal and decision.

Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on March 21, 2017

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2017

Miriam Feirberg Photo: Eyal Yizhar
Miriam Feirberg Photo: Eyal Yizhar
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