The amended indictment, filed by Adv. Noa Bornstein and Adv. Yuval Shalom from the Tax and Economic Crimes Prosecution, against Ahmed Kassas and Yossi Manzura, states that between the years 2018–2022, Kassas and Manzura operated a systematic and organized network for distributing fictitious invoices. Kassas operated to the extent of approximately NIS 250 million, while Manzura operated to the extent of approximately NIS 150 million. The illicit funds were laundered, among other ways, through transfers to third parties in Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, as well as through cashing checks at financial service providers.
In addition, Kassas concealed income totaling two million shekels from restaurants he owned in Jaffa. He also used threats against apartment buyers in a residential project, demanding payment of NIS 1.3 million, threatening that if he left the construction site, “they won’t put up a screw here” and that he would not allow other contractors to enter the site.
According to the amended indictment filed against Liron Ozen, Y.M. Company, owned by Manzura, and a licensed dealer owned by Kassas, issued false invoices totaling approximately NIS 16 million to Orin Ozen Company, owned by Ozen, which deducted tax using the false invoices. In addition, Ozen, through Orin Ozen Company, issued false invoices totaling NIS 3.9 million to Y.M. Company. Ozen also committed one act of money laundering amounting to approximately NIS 400,000.
As part of the sentence handed down in the cases of Kassas and Manzura, District Court Judge Dana Amir ruled that this was a planned, sophisticated, and systematic criminal scheme that lasted about four to five years, and severely harmed the principle of equal tax burden, public trust, and the state treasury. The court noted that the damage caused by Kassas to the state treasury amounts to approximately NIS 35 million, and by Manzura to NIS 21 million. It also emphasized that these are extremely serious offenses requiring the imposition of penalties including actual and prolonged prison sentences and significant fines.
Accordingly, Kassas was sentenced to 66 months of actual imprisonment (including the activation of a suspended sentence from a previous case), a suspended sentence, and a fine of NIS 450,000. Manzura was sentenced to 42 months of actual imprisonment and a fine of NIS 300,000. A symbolic fine was imposed on the companies they owned: Y.M. Aspaka, A.I. Ravil Granit, and Bitan Restaurants.
In addition, assets totaling approximately NIS 14 million were confiscated, and an additional sum of approximately NIS 7 million was transferred to the state treasury to rectify deficiencies. As part of the settlement, Kassas and Manzura were also convicted in a case managed against them by the Tax Authority, in the Magistrate Court in Jerusalem.
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