Kfar Saba Mayor and Wife Arrested in Major Municipal Corruption Probe
Kfar Saba Mayor Rafi Saar and his wife were arrested alongside 17 suspects in a major municipal corruption and bribery probe involving rigged tenders and cash payoffs.
Kfar Saba municipality staff are still reeling from the shock of a massive corruption investigation that led to the arrest of 17 suspects, including Mayor Rafi Saar and his wife, Meital. While some municipal employees expressed disbelief, police investigators described Meital Saar as a dominant figure who operated as a central hub for business figures seeking to secure lucrative municipal tenders and projects.
Investigators from Lahav 433 and the police anticorruption unit, Yahab, raided the municipal building and the local economic corporation, seizing computers and documents. According to police sources, the sophisticated scheme involved bypassing standard municipal channels by transferring projects to the economic corporation, whose CEO, Sagi Chen, was among those arrested. Investigators allege that business owners, some with ties to criminal elements in the Sharon region, funneled cash bribes to the mayor's wife in exchange for rigged tenders spanning sanitation, education facility renovations, street lighting, and food truck permits.
A Deja Vu of Corruption in Kfar Saba
The scandal has brought an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu to city hall, recalling the tenure of former mayor Yehuda Ben Hamo, who was convicted of corruption and sentenced to prison in 2022. Employees noted that many staff members remember the protocol from previous investigations, though the current affair's alleged involvement of the economic corporation marks a new level of systemic corruption.
Police suspect that the couple maintained a lavish lifestyle funded by illicit cash, pointing to expensive jewelry, luxury foreign travel, and high-end vehicles. Customs officials recently intercepted 20,000 shekels in cash with Meital Saar at Ben Gurion Airport. Investigators also suspect that criminal figures pressured political rivals during the previous local elections to secure Saar's victory, raising concerns over deep-seated links between organized crime and municipal leadership. Mayor Saar has temporarily suspended himself from office as the investigation continues.
