Prosecutors on Monday charged seven officers from classified units in the military and police in what authorities described as one of the most serious security-related criminal cases uncovered during the ongoing war, though most details remain under a court-imposed gag order.
The State Attorney’s Office filed the indictment at the Central District Court in Lod, accusing the defendants of bribery, theft by a public servant, money laundering, obstruction of justice and tax offenses, among other charges.
According to the indictment, the suspects — who served in sensitive units in the IDF and police — allegedly exploited their positions over several months in the past year to unlawfully obtain money and property worth tens of millions of shekels. Prosecutors said most of the illicit funds were laundered using cryptocurrencies.
Investigators seized cryptocurrency wallets and cash totaling more than 50 million shekels (about $13 million). After some suspects learned of the investigation and the arrest of one of those involved, three of the defendants allegedly attempted to destroy evidence to obstruct the probe.
The case stems from a joint investigation led by the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, along with the police’s Central District major crimes unit, the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division and the Justice Ministry’s Police Internal Investigations Department, which probes misconduct by police officers.
Prosecutors requested that four of the defendants be held in custody until the end of legal proceedings, while seeking restrictive conditions for the remaining three. The court ruled that all additional details of the case are barred from publication.
In a joint statement, the Shin Bet, police and military said several officers, along with civilians and a resident of east Jerusalem, were arrested on suspicion of security offenses tied to abuse of their authority for financial gain.
Authorities described the case as a systematic scheme involving theft and bribery carried out by individuals who leveraged their operational roles for personal profit.
“The Shin Bet, the IDF and police view with utmost severity the exploitation of official positions for personal benefit,” the statement said, adding that such actions pose a direct threat to Israel’s security and could strengthen hostile terrorist groups.
Officials said they would continue to act decisively to counter such threats and prosecute those involved.