The Rishon Letzion Magistrate’s Court on Monday extended by four days the detention of Arnon Bar-David, head of the Histadrut, the Jewish state’s most powerful trade union.
Judge Dorit Saban Noy said that “it appears the Histadrut was managed like a business belonging to a private individual, who appointed people to key positions at will and removed them at will,” Ynet reported.
“The reasonable suspicion has strengthened further and is now approaching the level of prima facie evidence,” the judge ruled.
On Sunday evening, Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster reported that detectives had discovered new evidence since Bar-David and his wife were arrested in what authorities have described as “one of the most serious” bribery and fraud cases in the history of the modern state.
The Histadrut head was among some 350 people detained by police for questioning last Monday in the affair dubbed “Hand Shaking Hand.”
According to Kan, Bar-David appointed one of his close associates to a fictitious paid position, in addition to the other suspicions against him.
Maariv reported that police found 30,000 shekels (some $9,200) during a search of Bar-David’s home. He reportedly admitted to receiving the funds from one of the other suspects, but claimed it had been a loan.
A prominent businessperson from Israel’s insurance sector, described as a close associate of Bar-David, allegedly leveraged his Histadrut ties to secure lucrative jobs and install allies in key union and board positions with local authorities, state-owned enterprises and major companies.
Police allege the businessman used his connections to obtain insurance contracts with labor unions and municipalities, offering senior roles in return, including positions at Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) and Israel Railways. Police also allege that the suspect spent illicit funds on luxury dining, travel and personal expenses.
The arrests followed a two-year undercover probe led by the police’s Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit, which led to the wave of coordinated raids at 50-plus homes and municipal offices of six local authorities.
Authorities said that the arrested suspects are under investigation for bribery, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering and tax offenses.
