Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit informed Welfare Minister Haim Katz Thursday that he is to charge him, pending a hearing, for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

The decision was made on the basis of a recommendation from State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan, who suspects the Likud party Minister had an illicit quid pro quo with Mordechai Ben Ari, a leading figure in capital markets, in which Katz accepted financial benefits in return for using his position in the Knesset to advance the businessman’s interests.

Tel Aviv district prosecutors notified Katz of the development and told Ben Ari that he will face similar charges, also pending a hearing.

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