Police: Tax Authority not helping fight organized crime

Israel Police Investigations and Intelligence Branch deputy commander Brig.-Gen. David Mantzur today said that, for months, the Israel Tax Authority has not been cooperating with the law enforcement agencies in the fight against organized crime. He said that Tax Authority officials are demanding risk bonuses in exchange for their collaboration.

Mantzur made the comments to the Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, which met to discuss the police's measures against organized crime. Committee chairman MK Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor) promised to ask Minister of Finance Ronnie Bar-On and Israel Tax Authority director general Yehuda Nasradishi to solve the financial problem.

Mantzur said, "The goal of the police is to destroy organized crime by demolishing its financial infrastructure." He cited the cooperation of the Israel Securities Authority and the Israel Money Laundering Prohibition Authority. He said that the police had arrested 500 criminals who were members of organized crime gangs, and that they were now in prison.

Mantzur added, however, that the police had 100 unfilled positions in its Lahav 433 Unit at the National Investigations Unit. "There is no quick fix here. Although we have a lot of information about the gangs, the problem is turning this into evidence. Even if the positions were filled, we'll only see results in two or three years."

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 24, 2008