Tax Authority Deputy Director General's Case Transferred to Prosecution
Police have transferred the case of Elad Goldberg to the State Attorney's Office, recommending charges for fraud, breach of trust, and invasion of privacy. The investigation centers on allegations that he forcibly searched a subordinate's phone.
Elad Goldberg, Senior Deputy Director General of the Tax Authority for Procurement, Assets, and Logistics, is at the center of a criminal investigation that the police have transferred to the State Attorney's Office for a decision on whether to file an indictment. He is suspected of fraud, breach of trust, invasion of privacy, and obtaining benefits by deception. This was announced on Monday by the police.
Goldberg's personal assistant is also a suspect in the case, which was investigated jointly by the Fraud Investigation Unit (YAH) in Lahav 433 and the Civil Service Commission. According to the police, the investigation revealed an evidentiary basis suggesting the suspects acted in a conflict of interest, violated the privacy of employees, and performed illegal acts, including breaking into another person's mobile phone.
Investigation Details
Goldberg was questioned under caution in late May at the YAH offices and was subsequently released. He was not arrested at any stage of the investigation. Investigators confronted him with evidence that he had locked his office door while a subordinate was inside, demanded the employee's mobile phone, and searched it for messages and call recordings.
The investigation file was nicknamed "Code Break 2" by the police, as they had previously investigated similar allegations against the same Deputy Director General regarding an alleged illegal intrusion into another person's phone—a case that was eventually closed by the State Attorney's Office. Sources familiar with the case claim that new evidence has now been found to substantiate the suspicions.
"According to the materials, the Deputy Director General suspected his employee of slandering him, so he locked him in a room and demanded to see his messages," sources stated.
Additional Allegations
During the investigation, suspicions arose regarding the obtaining of benefits by deception. It is alleged that an electric vehicle charging station was installed at Goldberg's private home at his request, under the pretext that he was to receive an electric vehicle from the Tax Authority, even though no such intention existed. The station was allegedly intended for a family member's vehicle.
The police stated that the file has been transferred to the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office for review. Goldberg's associates have expressed bewilderment that a dispute within the Tax Authority is being handled through a criminal procedure in Lahav 433 rather than through disciplinary channels.
Attorneys Amit Hadad and Eli Pari, representing Goldberg, stated: "This is a strange investigation that was born in sin and should not have come into the world over trifles that did not happen and could not have happened. It is expected that the case will be closed as soon as possible." The Tax Authority and the Civil Service Commission declined to comment.
