The six Border Guard police officers belonging to the Haredi "Abent" company of the Border Guard, who were arrested this morning (Monday), are suspected of receiving between 100 and 200 shekels for each illegal resident they smuggled into the country - a total of tens of thousands of shekels.
All six are suspected of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court extended the detention of all suspects by eight days.
According to a report by Liran Tamari on the Ynet website, one of the police officers admitted to the accusations and said that they acted according to a fixed "price list": 100 shekels for each illegal resident who was smuggled, and in total they received about 25,000 shekels over the period.
One of the six is even suspected of trafficking in weapons, after allegedly selling stun grenades to illegal residents.
According to a report this evening by Hadas Greenberg on Kan News, the undercover investigation that took place over the past six months revealed that the Haredi police officers operated like an organized cell. Some of them were tasked with smuggling at checkpoints in the Jerusalem area, and others collected the bribe money from Palestinian villages in Judea and Samaria.
According to a report by Liran Tamari on the Ynet website, in a hearing to extend their detention, the head of the Jerusalem branch of the Palestinian Police, Attorney Noa Limor, said that this was a "very serious and wide-ranging affair." She noted that "according to suspicion, the police officers conspired with Palestinian smugglers and smuggled many dozens of illegal residents at the checkpoint where they were stationed. In return, they received bribes and benefits. These are huge sums of money.".
The IDF said that the investigation focuses on the connection between the police, regular fighters in the Jerusalem encirclement, and Palestinian smuggling elements, and that investigators from the Jerusalem Police Department are also participating in the investigation.
Attorney Liran Zilberman, who represents one of the suspects whose name is prohibited from publication, told Kan News: "This is a preliminary suspicion of bribery offenses. The client I represent denies the allegations against him and is cooperating. I hope that at the end of the investigation the suspicions will dissipate.".
Border Guard Commander, Chief Yitzhak Brik, told Ynet: "This is a serious and unusual incident in which, according to suspicion, a number of police officers failed and sinned in their duty and mission as defenders of the country and the people. This is not our way and is not the way of the Border Guard. The Border Guard is a moral, professional and determined force that works day and night to protect the security of the state and its citizens. I strongly condemn the actions of the police officers involved and make it clear that in places where we understand that we have failed and our actions have gone wrong, we will act decisively, investigate and deal with them without compromise, while cooperating with the relevant authorities.".
""We will continue to work tirelessly to maintain the security of the country and its citizens out of a sense of mission, dedication, and even fierceness, while maintaining a high and uncompromising standard of values. We will not compromise on the values of our fighters, nor will we pass over any moral or ethical failure as an agenda. The company commander and his subordinates, who demonstrated values, responsibility, and integrity, acted exactly as is expected of commanders and fighters in the force.".
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