Minister Ben Gabir.
Tidying up (photo: image processing, Yonatan Zindel Flash 90)
The Minister of National Security, MK Itamar Ben Gabir (Otzma Yehudit) agreed with the Likud that the Protection Law, to increase the punishment for protection offenders, will be put to a vote in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation this Sunday and to a preliminary reading vote in the Knesset Plenum this Wednesday. This was confirmed by the Minister's office.
The phenomenon of protection - giving sponsorship fees is a method of extorting money from victims by criminals or various criminal organizations. The essence of extorting sponsorship fees is actually based on a kind of "arrangement" between the business owner, in our case the real estate or construction company, and the organization that is extorting him:
The extorted person pays the organization or its representatives, and in return the organization protects him from crime, including crime caused by the extortionist himself.
In cases where the business owner does not cooperate and refuses to pay the sponsorship fee, the extortionist harms him.
Sometimes the victim pays the blackmailer the sponsorship fee even if he is not actually harmed by him, but only because of the fear of him.
According to data from the Boni Ha'aretz Contractors Association, over 90% of contractors are required to pay sponsorship fees to criminal organizations in order to protect themselves and their construction sites.
The stories change and repeat themselves.
Every contractor describes a similar picture:
upon entering the field, representatives of "security companies" suddenly appear in his office and make it clear that he must pay a monthly fee to protect the site.
Those who refuse, begin to receive various threats.
This is according to an investigation conducted by the real estate editor Ofer Petersburg. Among other things, it became clear that the phenomenon is so serious because the crime families are already entering and interfering in infrastructure and construction tenders issued by the Ministry of Defense, the Israel Lands Authority and the Ministry of Construction and Housing.
MK Kreuzer. "Threat" - mentioning the name of the head of the criminal organization is enough (photo: official website, Yossi Logsi Fleshman)
The bill was submitted by Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kreuzer in order to correct the distorted situation that exists today that allows criminals and crime families to get away without adequate punishment. As of today,
as part of the authorities' fight against the crimes of extorting sponsorship fees ("protection"), the extorted is required ( construction companies/real estate) to prove that an offense resulting from extortion and threats was indeed committed (according to the provisions of Section 428 of the Penal Code), but the reality on the ground proves that a threat, for the purpose of extortion, is not always made explicitly and openly but rather implicitly, relying on the identity of the threatener, identity His sender or the "name" he got in the area.
In practice, we will also learn that the police encounter situations in which criminal organizations masquerading as "security companies" charge business owners money for alleged "security services", when in reality no such service is provided.
The bill seeks to amend section 428 of the law, so that it is clarified that a threat or intimidation may also be carried out by way of creating a representation, through messages that were also transmitted to other people.
"We are witnessing many cases in which the mention of the name of the head of a criminal organization as the person requesting the payment, without any threat, is enough to make the victims pay," the bill reads, "and therefore it is proposed to also add a reference to the "threatening status". In addition, the bill seeks to
establish Because a person who regularly receives money or a benefit from a business owner, but does not provide a service or an adequate return - this will be seen as the person who received the money or the return as part of extortion by threats, unless he explains the nature of receiving the return. Finally, it is also proposed to establish a minimum sentence of three years for committing the offense and increasing the maximum penalties set by law.
Real estate
Tags
Protection
Protection money
Building