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Itamar Ben-Gvir’s office investigated for bribery, four Israelis arrested – Israel News

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The National Fraud Investigation Unit, which falls under Lahav 433, announced publicly on Tuesday that it had arrested four suspects as part of an investigation into bribery offenses and irregularities in the issuance of gun licenses by the National Security Ministry.

The suspects include a licensing officer from the National Security Ministry and three officials who collected and approved applications for firearms licenses. In addition to the four arrests, Lahav 433 arrested ten suspects on suspicion of operating a criminal network that issued firearms licenses to any applicant, even if they did not meet the eligibility criteria, in exchange for a bribe to an employee of the National Security Ministry’s Firearms Licensing Department. Maariv reported.

The investigation by the National Fraud Investigations Unit (“Yaha”) began in early July.

A police officer quoted by Maariv said this was “a significant case that is likely to have attracted public interest, and I am grateful that its details have not been leaked. Undercover investigations have been ongoing at the Yaha for several weeks, after the government’s legal adviser, the prosecutor and the head of the Israel Police’s Investigation and Intelligence Department gave the green light. There was a reasonable suspicion of illegal activities and serious crimes in the issuing of weapons license permits within the National Security Ministry, which triggered the investigation.”

A firearm seized during the night-time brawl between two feuding families in Ramle on April 16, 2021. (Source: ISRAELI POLICE)

According to the same official Maariv The information in question is highly sensitive for two reasons: first, because it involves verifying the personal data of people who have been issued gun licenses; and second, because the ministry responsible for police is still under investigation. A petition has also reportedly been filed with the Supreme Court demanding that the investigation be expedited to prevent data leaks.

“We are investigating suspected bribery offences and, in parallel, we are investigating to whom these licenses were issued and whether there are officials who issued licenses to own weapons. The investigation covers both the criminal and regulatory areas,” the official added.

“The investigations made public today are part of the bribery case. We have arrested four suspects and detained ten. Among the suspects are an employee of the Ministry of National Security and members of a network that offered gun licenses even if the applicant did not meet the criteria. Ten others are being investigated for fraud for tracking down applicants and referring them to the network, as well as transferring money to intermediaries and through them to the arrested licensing officer.”

“We are talking about hundreds of people who paid money to an official for a gun license, and as part of the investigation we will track down all of them to find out whether they knew it was a bribery transaction or whether they thought it was payment for a service they allegedly received. We estimate that each applicant paid hundreds of thousands of Israeli NIS.

“Due to the proximity of their residences, it is suspected that the licensing officer is a relative of the other members of the network.” According to the senior official, although the licensing officer is legally authorized, he is young and does not understand the importance of trust within the National Security Ministry.

“At least the bribery case has not reached the minister’s office,” the official added, referring to MK Itamar Ben-Gvir.

“As part of this investigation, we are also looking into the regulatory area and those who have been following this know that officials from the Ministry, including senior ones, have come to us for questioning, some under warning. The investigation into this matter is ongoing. At this stage, I completely rule out any connection between the case of alleged bribery and the regulatory issues and as evidence we have received information from the Ministry where there are suspicions about behavior on social networks related to the awarding of licenses.”

“The wave of licensing began in March 2023 following a wave of terrorist attacks, but intensified after October 7. For each person who was found during the investigation to have received a weapon contrary to the criteria, we contacted the ministry and collected the weapon from them, maintaining the covert nature of the investigation.”

The National Security Ministry reacts

In response to the investigation, the National Security Ministry issued a statement on Tuesday morning saying it “congratulated the police officers and investigators of Lahav 433 on the arrest of a number of suspects this morning. They are accused of illegally issuing weapons licenses by bribing people who did not meet the criteria.”

“It is good that the suspect is a young official among the hundreds of employees of the National Security Ministry. The employees of the Weapons Department of the Ministry of National Security do sacred work for the security of the citizens of Israel and have issued over 150,000 gun licenses to those eligible, working around the clock. We will continue within the framework of the reform that the ministry is leading and issue gun licenses to as many citizens as possible.”

Other MKs

MK Merav Michaeli commented on the news in a post on X, saying she was not surprised.

“This is precisely why we have called on Minister Ben-Gvir and the National Security Ministry to take action against the illegal distribution of weapons. This government is corrupt through and through. And spoiler alert: This is just the tip of the iceberg.”



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