She holds no official position at Kfar Saba City Hall, but investigators suspect Meital Saar, wife of Mayor Rafi Saar, played a central role in an alleged corruption network that steered municipal contracts to businesspeople in exchange for cash bribes. Police sources described her as a "dominant figure" who "had a hand in everything," alleging that businesspeople seeking lucrative city projects approached her directly and paid her bundles of cash.
The allegations emerged Monday as police arrested 17 suspects, including the mayor and his wife, in a sweeping municipal tender-rigging investigation. Rafi Saar has since temporarily suspended himself from office, while employees at City Hall struggle to absorb the revelations. Some remain convinced the mayor will emerge from the investigation unscathed, but police sources have painted a different picture of his wife's influence over municipal affairs.
"He is an elected official, she holds no public office, but she had a hand in everything," sources in the National Fraud Investigations Unit said, describing Meital Saar's alleged involvement in helping businesspeople secure major tenders, from renovations of educational institutions to cleaning services and the placement of food trucks.
One source described the suspected corruption in particularly stark terms. "This was a city that was sold, nothing less than that," he said, adding that there had long been widespread talk suggesting the mayor's wife "held the key to running the city."
Investigators from Lahav 433 remained inside Kfar Saba City Hall on Monday, examining computers and seizing documents in an effort to substantiate the allegations. "It's a complete shock. We never imagined there was anything criminal going on inside this building," one municipal employee told ynet. "I believe he'll get through this easily because he's an honest man."
Some employees who arrived at the municipal building in the city center early Monday morning were surprised to find police investigators already at work.
The investigation is continuing at both City Hall and the municipal economic development company, with detectives collecting documents and examining computer records.
"There are quite a few police officers inside," another municipal employee said. "They're not asking many questions. They're mainly collecting documents and checking computers."
Déjà vu at City Hall: ‘Unfortunately, we know the protocol’
For some municipal employees, the investigation has revived uncomfortable memories. Kfar Saba's previous mayor, Yehuda Ben Hamo, was convicted in a corruption case and sentenced to 24 months in prison in April 2022.
"We're all relatively calm here," one employee said. "Unfortunately, most of us were here the last time something like this happened, so we know the protocol."
Rafi Saar
(Photo: Asaf Friedman)
This time, however, the municipal economic development company is also implicated in the investigation. Employees describe it as an entity operating separately from the municipality. Its CEO, attorney Sagi Chen, was among those arrested on suspicion of offenses involving public corruption, bribery, fraud and breach of trust, money laundering and tax violations.
At the center of the case are Rafi and Meital Saar, who investigators suspect worked together to promote the interests of businesspeople and associates, including individuals with alleged criminal connections, in exchange for cash bribes.
Police conducted searches at approximately 30 locations as the investigation became public. The undercover operation began about a year and a half ago, following dozens of intelligence reports raising suspicions of widespread corruption within the municipality.
According to information collected by investigators, the couple allegedly worked to direct municipal tenders, properties and projects to associates, businesspeople and individuals with financial interests, some of whom are known to police for criminal activity.
In return, investigators suspect Meital Saar received bundles of cash from those individuals, with whom she maintained direct contact.
How the mayor's wife allegedly steered municipal tenders
According to investigators, the suspected scheme revolved around Meital Saar's contacts with businesspeople seeking municipal contracts. Those interested in securing projects allegedly approached the mayor's wife, established quid pro quo arrangements and relied on her assistance to win tenders.
Police suspect that, to conceal preferential treatment of certain businesspeople and the alleged manipulation of tenders, municipal projects were transferred from City Hall to the economic development company.
Investigators believe the couple coordinated with the company's CEO, who allegedly knew in advance which bidder was supposed to win each tender brought before him.
Sources familiar with the investigation said that, in some cases, obstacles were allegedly placed in the way of competing bidders until they were forced to withdraw. The projects were then allegedly awarded to businesspeople whose connections with the couple were suspected of benefiting them.
Kfar Saba
(Photo: Courtesy of Kfar Saba Municipality)
The allegations cover almost every area of municipal operations, including school renovations, food trucks, the opening of businesses, leisure and entertainment complexes, sports projects, transportation, traffic lights, street lighting and cleaning services.
Another central aspect of the investigation concerns the couple's lifestyle and their allegedly extensive use of cash.
According to National Fraud Investigations Unit sources, Rafi and Meital Saar maintained a lavish lifestyle, paying numerous expenses in cash, including overseas travel, jewelry, clothing and handbags.
"We're not investigating a technical violation involving the use of cash. If that were the issue, we would find a great many offenses of that kind," investigators explained, emphasizing that the transactions were being examined as part of the suspected bribery scheme.
During the police raids, including searches of municipal offices, investigators discovered large quantities of cash, packaged and concealed in locations where detectives had anticipated finding it.
Expensive jewelry, luxury watches and evidence of overseas flights and shopping trips were also found in the couple's possession. During their most recent return to Israel, customs officials at Ben Gurion Airport discovered 20,000 shekels in cash in Meital Saar's possession, and she was questioned at the scene.
The couple also drove expensive, recently purchased vehicles.
A separate line of investigation concerns suspected connections between the mayor, his wife and criminal figures operating in the Sharon region. According to intelligence obtained by police, individuals known to Central District police for criminal activity allegedly assisted Saar during the local election campaign.
Investigators suspect those individuals pressured political candidates running against Saar in an effort to influence the election. Police are examining the nature of the relationships between the alleged criminal figures and the couple, as well as suspicions that those same individuals subsequently exerted pressure on the mayor and his wife.