Kfar Sava mayor and wife detained for another week on bribery and fraud charges
Mayor Rafi Saar and his spouse Meital Saar were ordered to remain in custody for eight more days as investigators allege bribery, fraud, money-laundering and tax violations.
Rafi Saar, the mayor of Kfar Sava, and his wife Meital Saar were remanded for an additional eight days after a magistrate found reasonable suspicion of bribery, fraud, money-laundering and tax offenses. The detention also covers the chief executive of a city-affiliated firm and 21 other suspects arrested earlier. Prosecutors allege the couple leveraged the mayor’s authority to influence municipal tenders in exchange for large sums of money, with Meital Saar portrayed as the primary conduit.
The mayor’s defense attorney maintains that Rafi Saar had no knowledge of his wife’s actions and that seized items belong solely to her. The investigation, led by Lahav 433, has been ongoing for more than a year and traces the alleged criminal network to 2019, following a similar corruption case involving former mayor Yehuda Ben-Hamo.
Why it matters
The case highlights potential abuse of municipal power and raises concerns about corruption in local Israeli governance.
In this story
