Following a clandestine investigation, authorities on Monday morning 3 Nissan arrested 18 suspects including senior officials in the Ministry of Education suspected of corruption amounting to more than NIS 20 million.

The investigation began in January 2018 after a complaint was received from the ministry pertaining to an internal investigation that led to signs of illegal activities connected with giving and grading exams for an outside company hired by the ministry.

As the probe continued, investigators continued to gather evidence pointing to fraud, theft, breach of trust, forged document and related crimes allegedly involving some senior ministry officials. Investigators estimate persons pockets sums amounting to more than NIS 20 million.

Some of the suspects declared they proctored and graded exams for an outside company working with the ministry, work they performed at the expense of the Ministry, during work hours. Others declared they gave oral exams far exceeding the number permitted during regular work hours.

It appears to have been a combination of double billing as they were working for the ministry and outside company simultaneously, as well as fictitious billing, for exams that were never giveno

In other cases, persons wrote a family member down, one who was not certified or qualified, listed as test examiners, a means used to yield hundreds of thousands of shekels in additional earnings into their pockets.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)