Senior Likud officials suspected of hiding millions in real estate assets

Four individuals linked to the Likud party, including a former lawmaker, the head of the party's appeals court, a contractor and businesspeople, were questioned on Monday for suspected concealment of real estate assets and transfers amounting to millions of shekels. The suspects detained at Lahav 433's National Unit for Economic Crime Investigations are Dudi Appel, a contractor and former Knesset member, attorney Michael Kleiner, and Yaffa Dayan and Yitzhak Dayan.

Police suspect the four were involved in hiding rights to real estate properties and transferring assets to avoid detection. Dudi Appel, currently in insolvency proceedings since 2012 over debts totaling tens of millions of shekels, allegedly concealed rights to multiple properties worth millions and transferred control while insolvency proceedings were ongoing, potentially violating his duty to disclose assets.

Investigators claim the suspects acted "in a sophisticated and systematic manner" to conceal their actions. Following the investigation's public disclosure, police confiscated substantial property that could later be subject to forfeiture. All four suspects were released to their homes after questioning.

Appel's attorney, Efraim Damari, stated that the allegations concern an old case already investigated over 14 years ago, and his client finds it difficult to understand why the enforcement authorities are revisiting and pursuing the case after proceedings in his case were concluded. Yaffa and Yitzhak Dayan's attorneys also rejected the allegations, describing their clients as law-abiding citizens and respected businesspeople.