Finance Ministry, police to form unit to fight public sector corruption

The unit will follow taxpayer money as it moves through the public sector and fight bribery and theft in what they said is an effort to “stop these crimes and increase deterrence."

By BEN HARTMAN
Handcuffs [Illustrative] (photo credit: INIMAGE)
Handcuffs [Illustrative]
(photo credit: INIMAGE)
The Israel Police, the Public Security Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Government Companies Authority have agreed to establish a dedicated investigatory unit inside the top police investigative unit, in an effort to fight fraud in the public sector.
The Finance Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the decision to found the unit was made recently, that it will be part of the National Economic Crimes Unit within the LAHAV 433 branch of the police, and that it will fight corruption in the public sector and the damage caused by the illegal expenditure of public funds.
The unit will follow taxpayer money as it moves through the public sector and fight bribery and theft in an effort to “stop these crimes and increase deterrence,” the ministry said.
The unit will focus in particular on crimes involving the National Insurance Institute and the Israel Lands Authority, and will collaborate with investigators from the Israel Tax Authority, the State Comptroller’s Office, and the Anti-Money Laundering Authority.
Government Companies Authority head Uri Yogev said in the statement that the new unit will reduce the phenomenon of waste in the public coffers, increase transparency and help make the public sector “more efficient, clean, and professional,” an assessment shared by Police Insp.-Gen. Yohanan Danino, who praised the decision to create the unit.