Police arrest southern mayor for allegedly pocketing wartime donations to residents |
Police on Monday detained a mayor in southern Israel for questioning on suspicion of pocketing millions of shekels in wartime donations for himself and his associates.
He was arrested alongside several local officials and businessmen suspected of involvement in the alleged corruption. Police did not identify the suspects or say how many people were detained.
According to police, millions of shekels donated to the municipality for the benefit of residents amid the two-year war against Hamas in Gaza and the war last year with Iran were transferred to a community fund and from there, “found their way into the private pockets of the mayor and his associates.”
According to Haaretz, the mayor and senior municipality officials demanded that the funds be transferred to private........