Police recommend Minister Golan stand trial over job-fixing allegations
Likud minister accused of creating fictitious jobs for associates and paying them for zero work
Police on Wednesday recommended Social Equality Minister May Golan be prosecuted over allegations that she created fictitious jobs in her ministry for relatives of friends and influential colleagues, who did no actual work despite being paid a government salary.
Police said they had completed their criminal investigation into the allegations against the Likud politician and transferred the case to the State Attorney’s Office.
Investigators in the Lahav 433 major crimes unit led the probe against Golan, who is suspected of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
A senior official in the unit told Channel 12 news that enough evidence was uncovered in the case for prosecutors to file an indictment.
Law enforcement went public with the investigation in September last year after a months-long covert probe.
After reviewing the police findings, state prosecutors will decide whether to file charges against the minister.
The case cracked wide open in September when police raided Golan’s office and arrested six of her associates.
She was accused of enabling widespread nepotism and of dubious fundraising activities in a Channel 12 report that aired in January 2025, and police were granted the go-ahead a month later to open an investigation.
Those allegedly hired by Golan for fake positions included the wife of a long-time legal adviser, who runs a dog-grooming business but was also listed as a salaried employee of Golan’s office. The attorney himself was paid thousands of shekels to prepare legal documents that were never filed.
In another example, the report named a strategic adviser who received NIS 250,000 ($68,600) for work done on behalf of Golan. The daughter of the adviser’s romantic partner was given a job in Golan’s office, where she worked remotely as a “coordinator” and reportedly never actually turned up at the office.
The investigation also found irregularities in Golan’s nonprofit organization, the Hebrew City, which campaigned against migrants.
The minister, a right-wing firebrand who first gained public attention when she campaigned against the housing of illegal migrants in her home neighborhood in south Tel Aviv, denies all wrongdoing.
She has refused to submit to police questioning and reportedly whisked her mother away in the middle of a questioning session in September.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.