Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg instructed Shin Bet Chief David Zini to investigate information regarding foreign funding intended to skew the elections in Israel.
The probe centers on suspicions that Arab entities funneled large sums of money to unlawfully boost voter turnout in the Arab sector.
“Severe suspicions have been brought before me regarding improper influence through foreign funding by entities acting against Israeli interests during the elections,” Sohlberg wrote in a directive to investigate suspected foreign funding and election bribery.
“Therefore, I instruct you to do everything in your power to investigate the aforementioned allegations and to utilize the powers of the General Security Service to obtain evidence to substantiate or refute these suspicions.”
Channel 13 published details of the Shin Bet’s investigations into the matter, including the examination of channels used by foreign sources to transfer funds, Army Radio reported.
Qatar, Turkey suspected in Israeli election interference
Possible sources for the funds include Qatar and Turkey.
According to Army Radio, investigators suspect that channels used in funneling money for the purpose of election interference overlap with channels previously linked to terrorist organizations and funds, as well as currency exchanges and branches within hostile nations.
Additionally, reports have surfaced regarding the interception of envelopes packed with cash and voting slips for the Ra’am party.
The Shin Bet is set to investigate whether the money was financed by foreign entities or by sources within Israel.
Maariv Online contributed to this report.
