’Israeli’ Police Hold Dozens of Officials in Corruption Probe

Local Editor

"Israeli" police said Wednesday that they had detained more than 30 serving and former public officials in an investigation into corruption, and that one of those under suspicion is a deputy minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet.

The identities of the suspects have not been released but police spokeswoman Luba Samri said arrested suspects would face remand hearings later in the day.

Samri said senior public servants including a deputy minister and former officials were among the targets of investigation, and that the suspected crimes in the case included fraud, breach of trust and money laundering.

She said the yearlong investigation made public Wednesday "raised suspicions that the suspects collaborated ... to further their own private and public interests to procure funds ... in a manner that fundamentally damaged proper conduct".

The allegations implicated Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party, which rejected the case as a “witch hunt” aimed at impeding the party’s campaign ahead of the March 2015 election