A serving council head from the southern region was arrested on suspicion of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
The arrest was made after the police conducted an undercover investigation in recent months on suspicion of committing bribery offenses by distorting tenders, fraud and violating professional standards, and fictitiously employing workers at the council in the south - with the aim of fraudulently receiving money from the council and funneling it into the suspects' private pockets.
Today (Monday), in the transition to the open phase of the investigation into the affair, police officers, officers from the 433rd Lahav Brigade, Border Guard National Guard soldiers, and soldiers from the Gideonim unit, arrested 7 suspects - including senior members of the council, including the head of the council and members of his family - and detained 6 additional suspects.
The case is being conducted in cooperation with the Southern District, the Tax Authority, the Anti-Money Laundering Authority, and is being monitored by the Economic Department of the State Attorney's Office.
In accordance with the needs of the investigation, the suspects will be brought later today for an extension of their detention at the Rishon LeZion Magistrate's Court.
The police said: "This is another significant administrative activity in the chain of actions by the Israel Police against crime and criminals in the Bedouin sector in the Negev, who are trying to turn official law enforcement agencies into criminal outposts and a platform for criminal activities.".
