The Israel Police on Wednesday named Ashkelon Mayor Tomer Glam as the official suspected of pocketing millions of shekels in wartime donations meant for residents affected by the Gaza conflict
Glam was questioned this week by the Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit on suspicion of bribery, fraud, theft and money laundering. He was later released to house arrest and barred from city hall for a week.
Investigators allege that donations collected during the Gaza and Iran wars were diverted through a community nonprofit to private businesses that returned cash and other benefits to the mayor and senior municipal officials. Several associates, including a relative of Glam, were also detained.
Glam, a member of the ruling Likud Party, has served as the Mediterranean coastal city’s mayor since 2017.