Israeli police and the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division arrested 21 civilians and military noncommissioned officers on suspicion of multimillion-shekel fraud involving work carried out in the Gaza Strip.
According to a police statement, the 21 suspects, including employees of civilian contracting companies and career military personnel, were arrested Tuesday morning as part of an investigation conducted by the southern branch of Lahav 433's National Economic Crime Unit, the Military Police's special investigations unit and the Israel Tax Authority's Beersheba VAT investigations office.
Trucks carrying engineering equipment in the Gaza Strip
(Photo: BASHAR TALEB / AFP)
During the fighting in Gaza, the IDF required heavy construction and engineering equipment from civilian companies to support its ongoing operations. In recent months, Lahav 433, the Military Police and the Tax Authority have conducted an undercover investigation into suspected offenses including fraud, money laundering and bribery.
The investigation became public Tuesday morning when Lahav 433 and Military Police investigators arrested 21 suspects in a large-scale nationwide operation. The suspects were taken to Lahav 433 for questioning and are expected to appear later for detention hearings at the Beersheba Magistrate's Court and the military court at Beit Lid.