In a further development in the Israel Police investigation of alleged corruption involving senior public officials and prominent figures in the Yisrael Beitenu party, this morning the National Fraud Investigation Unit revealed suspicions of more instances of bribery. Four people have been detained for questioning in connection with these suspicions, and searches have been carried out at their homes and offices.
The police suspect that a senior manager in an advertising agency bribed public officials to award advertising accounts to his agency and to commission the agency to carry out projects for various government ministries. The suspicions involve offenses of bribery and fraudulent receiving in aggravated circumstances by the advertising agency manager and other suspects, among them two senior civil servants who are alleged to have committed fraud and breach of trust.
In addition, it is suspected that a private strategic consultancy firm received money from budgets allocated to a joint project by a number of non-profit organizations, in exchange for engaging a specific public relations firm for the project, without the non-profit organizations being aware that the money was being siphoned off in this way. The firm's owner is suspected of offenses of bribery and fraudulent receiving in aggravated circumstances.
In accordance with developments in the investigation, it will be decided whether to bring the suspects detained this morning before the Rishon Le-Zion Magistrates Court at 3 pm today for a hearing on extending their remands.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 26, 2015
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2015