Prosecutors Weigh Bribery Charges Against Petah Tikva Mayor, Subject to Hearing

The state prosecutor is considering bringing charges against Petah Tikva Mayor Rami Greenberg, municipal director-general Yaniv Benita and eight other suspects, subject to hearings. The State Attorney’s Office’s Economic Department notified their lawyers on Sunday, November 15. The suspected offenses include bribery, fraud and breach of trust, forgery and tax offenses, according to each suspect’s alleged role. Prosecutors allege that Greenberg received benefits constituting bribes worth more than NIS 1 million during his 2018 mayoral election campaign. Businesspeople and associates allegedly financed campaign expenses. The prosecution said the benefits were given “in return for actions Greenberg performed or undertook to perform in his public role,” including after his election. Benita is suspected of giving Greenberg a bribe. The announcement also names businesspeople Moshe Saadon, Netanel Zer and Amnon Ben Ami as suspected bribe-givers. Prosecutors further allege that some suspects concealed the payments and supplied misleading information about campaign financing to the State Comptroller, including through forged documents. The investigation was conducted by the Israel Police’s National Fraud Investigation Unit and the Tax Authority’s Yahalom unit. The contemplated prosecutions remain subject to the suspects’ hearings.