Defamation lawsuit against the mayor of Holon: "He slandered without verifying details"
The former chairman of the Holon Municipality Entertainment Company, who was accused of corruption, has filed a 160,000 shekel lawsuit against Mayor Shay Keinan. The plaintiff claims the mayor repeatedly made false accusations and refused to retract them despite calls from council members.
Shimshon Hen, who served for many years as chairman of the Holon Municipality Entertainment Company, has filed a defamation lawsuit in the Herzliya Magistrate's Court for 160,000 shekels against Mayor Shay Keinan.
Hen, who retired from his position at the beginning of 2025, claims in the lawsuit that the mayor accused him of corruption regarding his activities at the company.
The statement of claim states: "To the plaintiff's astonishment, at the council meeting held on 28.06.26, which dealt with the approval of the municipal company's budget for 2025, the defendant repeated again and again that the plaintiff is corrupt, attributed corrupt activity to him (failure to hold tenders, illegal taking of funds, and prohibited loans), blamed him for the crisis at the municipal park, and slandered him incessantly, while refusing to retract the statements, even when members of the council, including the previous mayor, repeatedly urged him to do so."
It is further stated in the lawsuit: "These publications constitute defamation and have no basis in fact. Their sole purpose is to harm the plaintiff's good name. They are all serious, false accusations. The defendant did not even verify the details with the plaintiff before or after publishing them." Mayor Keinan has not yet filed a statement of defense.
