Cash and Ballots Found in Homes Hours Before Vote Opens
Police seized tens of thousands of shekels in cash from three suspects hours before polls opened.
By Noah Ross ·
Three men from Segev Shalom and Ar’ara BaNegev were arrested on suspicion of trying to bribe people to vote for the Arab Ra'am party on the eve of Election Day. Police announced the arrests on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a formal investigation into the incident, saying the three suspects were in possession of envelopes with cash and ballots for Mansour Abbas. He urged voters to go out and vote for Likud to protect the integrity of the elections.
The three suspects were detained four hours before the polls opened, not near the polling stations or the voters arriving there. The Ra'am party said the activists had done nothing wrong and that the police were trying to suppress voting in Arab society.
During searches of the suspects' homes, police found tens of thousands of shekels in cash along with notes and other items suspected to be connected to the offenses. The three suspects were taken to the Southern District’s Fraud Unit for questioning and are expected to appear in court today as police seek to extend their detention.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
