Parshat Hacorruption In receipt Auctions For the execution of infrastructure works in the “Millennium Compound” bRishon Lezion Coming to court today. The Tax and Economics Prosecutor’s Office today filed an indictment in the District Court against contractors Bnei Uziel and Avraham Yitzhak and the companies they own. The two are charged with receiving anything fraudulently under aggravated circumstances, money laundering And false registration in corporation documents, each according to its share. The case against former CEO of the Economic Company Nitzan Peleg and city council member Rishon LeZion Eyal Moshiov NessLives after a hearing procedure. Uziel is accused of offering bribes to senior executives at the Rishon Lezion Economic Company in two cases.
The affair was investigated as part of the “1803 case”, in which indictments were filed against MK David Bitan and others for bribery, fraud and breach of trust and money laundering, in nine different cases between the years 2017-2011.
According to the indictment, bIn 2016-2017, tenders were published by the Rishon Lezion Economic Company and the city’s water corporation to carry out development and infrastructure works in a project on an area of about 1,000 dunams in western Rishon Lezion called the “Alef Compound”. Uziel’s Tal Oz company did not meet all the threshold conditions required to submit a bid for tenders. It did not have the required contractor classification and scope of experience. The Avraham Yitzhak company met the conditions.
In both tenders, in accordance with an early agreement between Uziel and Yitzhak, Uziel submitted a bid for the tender, which was submitted on behalf of and signed by the Avraham Yitzhak company, while presenting a false presentation as if it were the real bidder. It was also agreed that if “Avraham Yitzhak” wins the tenders, it will transfer to Tal Oz the sums of money that will be transferred to it less a commission.
In doing so, according to the indictment, Avraham Yitzhak served only as a cover for Tal Oz, which was actually responsible for preparing the bid for the tenders and managing the works on their behalf. This is despite the fact that it did not meet the required threshold conditions. Uziel and Yitzhak hid the said agreements from the members of the tenders committee, and thus won the tenders.
According to the indictment, the proceeds from the execution of the works in the tenders, which amounted to NIS 94 million, were laundered by Uziel, Yitzhak and the companies through the false presentation of “Tal Oz” as a subcontractor, while creating a legitimate cover for the transfers between the companies.
According to the indictment, Uziel offered a bribe to Nitzan Peleg, CEO of the Rishon Lezion Economic Company, in 2015, when he served as a framework contractor for the economic company. Of Uziel to buy from the municipality, through the economic company, the surplus land accumulated in the area of the 1000 complex, at a price lower than the estimate of the economic company and without a tender.
The investigation was conducted by the National Unit for Fraud Investigations in Blade 433 of the Israel Police in cooperation with the Tax Authority and the Anti-Money Laundering Authority.
Attorneys Oded Saborai and Eran Shaham Shavit, representing Avraham Yitzhak: It is a pity that the State Attorney’s Office is trying to establish an innovative and precedent-setting legal interpretation, and in our eyes it is unfounded, on the back of Mr. Yitzhak, a veteran contractor, valued and straightforward in a way he has done much for the state. We have no doubt that the court will see things differently. ‘
Bnei Uziel’s lawyers, Navot Tel-Tzur, Nati Simchoni, Yaron Lipshas, Lia Goni and Assaf Klein, stated that “the indictment filed today shows that there was no corrupt relationship regarding the Alef tender in Rishon Lezion, and no allegations of bribery or corruption were made. To win this tender, the main offense with which Mr. Uziel is charged concerns a common and accepted practice in the field of tender law, of submitting bids by a main contractor who enters into an agreement with a subcontractor.
“The fact that Mr. Uziel finds himself criminally charged with this conduct is unacceptable. Mr. Uziel intends to fight for his innocence, and we are confident that the court will indeed acquit him of the offenses attributed to him.” Uziel is also represented by attorneys Kobi and Uri Goldman.
Nitzan Peleg’s attorneys Amit Hadad, Noa Milstein and Adi Erlich stated: “Nitzan Peleg is a professional, dedicated and first-rate honest public employee. “We are happy that the State Attorney’s Office accepted our claims, and closed Nitzan’s case, thus making it clear that there was no flaw in its conduct.”
Presumption of innocence: Bnei Uziel and Avraham Yitzchak were not convicted and they have presumption of innocence.