Investigation into corruption at Tax Authority continues

Israel Police’s National Fraud Unit continues to question several of the main suspects; land developer Shmuel Dachner is acting as a “state’s witness."

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
David Vanunu 311 (photo credit: YAAKOV LAPPIN)
David Vanunu 311
(photo credit: YAAKOV LAPPIN)
The Israel Police’s National Fraud Unit and Lahav 433 Unit continued their investigation into alleged corruption at the Tax Authority on Wednesday, questioning several of the main suspects.
Meanwhile, Channel 2 News reported that businessman and land developer Shmuel Dachner is acting as a “state’s witness” in the affair.
Dachner’s name has been linked to the Holyland real-estate bribery affair, as an ex-adviser to businessman Hillel Charni, who owned the Holyland development company during the time it allegedly paid bribes to senior officials.
Police did not immediately comment on Channel 2’s report.
On Wednesday, the main suspect in the current investigation, David Vanunu, head of the Tax Authority’s National Investigations and Field Intelligence Branch, was questioned by detectives.
Vanunu is suspected of receiving bribes over a period of years in exchange for “making problems go away” for people with tax difficulties.
Moshe Schori, the director-general of the Kadima party, who was arrested on suspicion of bribing Vanunu to fix an investigation into his wife’s taxes, was also questioned on Wednesday.
Speaking on Israel Radio, Schori’s attorney, Avi Himi, reiterated what he said in court on Tuesday, saying that his client had met with Vanunu twice at a cafe in order to “ascertain details” about a tax investigation into his wife’s financial affairs.
Himi denied that Schori had bribed Vanunu.