Criminal10/22/2026

Two Businessmen Released Under Restrictive Conditions in Kfar Saba Corruption Case

Police decided to release businessmen Ephraim (Effi) Kahlon and Eitan Sapir, who are suspected of involvement in corruption at the Kfar Saba Municipality. The investigation is continuing, with Mayor Rafi Saar and his wife, Meital, still at its center.

Key facts

•Publication date: October 22, 2026
•Court: Rishon LeZion Magistrate's Court
•Businessmen's house arrest: 10 days
•Ban on leaving Israel: 60 days
•The investigation encompasses eight incidents

Who Was Released and Under What Conditions

Investigators from the National Fraud Investigations Unit at Lahav 433 decided to release Kahlon and Sapir from the unit's offices. The conditions were set at an earlier hearing in the Rishon LeZion Magistrate's Court: 10 days of house arrest, a monetary deposit and a bond, a ban on contacting those involved in the case, and a ban on leaving Israel for 60 days. The source does not state the amount of the deposit.

What the Police Are Investigating

The case comprises eight separate incidents. The investigation was conducted covertly for about two years and became public about two weeks before the article was published, with arrests and questioning of suspects. The businessmen's release does not indicate that the investigation has ended or that the suspicions against them have been lifted.

The Suspicions Against the Saar Couple

According to the investigators' account, Meital Saar may have acted as an intermediary in transferring benefits and advancing the interests of parties that had dealings with the municipality. Police are also examining Mayor Rafi Saar's alleged direct involvement in decisions that may have been intended as consideration for the benefits provided. This is the investigators' account and not a fact established by a court.

The Next Court Hearing

Police intend to bring Rafi and Meital Saar before the Rishon LeZion Magistrate's Court again. According to the source's assessment, the hearing may address the conditions for transferring them to house arrest, unless developments in the investigation lead to a new request to extend their detention. The outcome of the hearing is not stated in the original article.

What this means for you

The release of a suspect under restrictive conditions is not equivalent to an acquittal or the closure of the case: police may continue investigative activities and the analysis of evidence. House arrest, a ban on contacting others, and a ban on leaving the country make it possible to restrict a person's liberty without continuing to hold that person in a detention facility while the investigation remains ongoing.

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