Kfar Saba Mayor's Mother-in-Law Released Early From Police Custody
Rivka Banadi, mother-in-law of Kfar Saba Mayor Rafi Saar, was released from police custody early. Her attorney stated that seized funds originated from state hostility compensation.
Rivka Banadi, the mother of Meital Saar and mother-in-law of Kfar Saba Mayor Rafi Saar, was released from police custody late Wednesday evening ahead of schedule. Banadi had been detained as part of a corruption investigation conducted by the national fraud unit Lahav 433.
Legal Defense and Source of Funds
Her defense attorney, Gadi Afriat, secured her early release under restrictive conditions until Sunday, which include a ban on contacting individuals involved in the case. The central focus of the police questioning was the origin of funds found in her possession. According to Afriat, the majority of the money—approximately 150,000 shekels—came from compensation provided by the National Insurance Institute after she was recognized as a victim of hostilities. She sustained injuries while rushing to a safe room during the recent military escalation involving Iran. The remaining funds were reportedly saved from her work in domestic housekeeping.
"This is money received from the state, compensation she obtained after being injured on her way to a safe room during the war," Attorney Afriat stated. "The fact that she is Meital's mother does not make her a suspect in anything."
Conditions and Ongoing Investigation
Afriat described Banadi, an elderly woman unaccustomed to such legal proceedings, as exhausted by her time in the detention facility. During her arrest, she briefly and unexpectedly crossed paths with another of her daughters at the Lahav 433 offices, an encounter marked by emotional distress. Banadi is currently at home under restrictive terms, and her defense team hopes her early release signals the end of her involvement in the wider corruption probe.
