The Arrest of the Mayor of Kfar Saba Brought the Attempt to Dismiss the City Engineer Back onto the Agenda

What the Detainees Are Suspected Of

According to Ynet, the covert investigation lasted more than a year and concerns suspicions of bribery, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, tax offenses, and additional offenses. According to the suspicions, the mayor, his wife, and Sagi Chen, CEO of the municipal economic development company, helped certain developers win major tenders in exchange for bribes, mainly in cash. The suspicions concern, among other things, the renovation of educational institutions, city cleaning, and the placement of food trucks. As part of the case, police arrested 17 additional suspects and detained seven for questioning.

What the Court Decided

The Rishon LeZion Magistrate’s Court extended the detention of Rafi and Meital Saar by eight days. Sagi Chen’s detention was extended by four days. These are procedural decisions at the investigation stage and not a determination of guilt; the source does not report that an indictment has been filed or that a final judicial ruling has been issued.

Why the City Engineer Was Recalled

In September 2024, Saar sought to have Aliza Zaydler-Granot dismissed, but the city council rejected the initiative: three council members voted in favor and 12 opposed it. The mayor accused the engineer of taking an extended vacation without his consent during the events of October 7 and of unprofessional work that, he claimed, delayed the advancement of construction plans. Zaydler-Granot, by contrast, alleged deficiencies in the management of planning and construction in the city, as well as personal pressure from municipal officeholders.

The Alleged Connection Between the Events

Municipal sources claim that after the failed dismissal attempt, the Engineering Administration’s powers began to be transferred to the municipal company, and the city engineer’s powers were curtailed. According to the report, the investigation is examining the hypothesis that projects were transferred from the municipality to the economic development company to conceal preferential treatment of certain participants in tenders. However, the source does not report that the attempt to dismiss Zaydler-Granot was identified as part of a criminal scheme or that the court determined that a connection exists between the events.

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