Shimon Cohen, a former senior official in the Tax Authority, was arrested on suspicion of evading income

Adv. (CPA) Shimon Cohen, a former senior official in the Tax Authority, was arrested today (Sunday) for questioning on suspicion of evading income by sophisticated and varied methods from the Tax Authority in the amount of tens of millions of shekels, during his activity as a lawyer. In addition, he is suspected of acting while making false representations and helping his clients evade taxes amounting to tens of millions of shekels. Following an undercover investigation conducted by the Tel Aviv Investigations Office, the investigation became public this morning, searches were conducted at his home and offices and documents were seized. Cohen was released after the interrogation under restrictive conditions.
Searches were conducted among other people involved, and three of Cohen's clients - including contractor Dudi Appel - were interrogated and released under restrictive conditions. Although he does not have an income tax portfolio, Apple is suspected of having in 2018 a joint brokerage deal with Cohen, from which the two raked in unreported millions of shekels.
Cohen's firm specializes in various tax areas, in the civil-commercial field and in real estate transactions. According to the firm's website, before establishing the firm, he served for about 15 years in senior positions in the tax authority, both in field and staff positions, including director of international taxation, deputy Haifa Assessing Officer and Deputy Assessing Officer Tel Aviv 1, Director of the International Taxation Unit, Professional Director of the Course for the Training of Income Tax Inspectors, Director of the Professional Division and Director of the Pre-Ruling Institute. In his most recent position at the Tax Authority, Shimon served as the director of the professional divisions, acting vice president and a member of the Tax Authority's management.
The other customers surveyed today are David and Mazal (Tisona) Eshed. Cohen and the Eshed couple quarreled, and at the beginning of the year Cohen filed a lawsuit against them in the amount of tens of millions of shekels in the Tel Aviv District Court, alleging breach of obligations as part of a project to establish student dormitories in Nottingham, England. Cohen claimed in the lawsuit he filed that he had invested millions of pounds in the project, but did not see a refund, despite the agreement between the parties.
Advocate Uri Korb, representing Cohen, responded: "Our client fully cooperated in the investigation today and gave his version regarding the allegations made before him. Shimon Cohen paid all his taxes legally and the entire issue belongs to the field of civil tax law. We are sure that after hearing his version, The case will be closed. " Apple's defense attorney, Adv. Eitan Maoz, declined to comment.