Tel Aviv, Dec. 10 -- Israel's top anti-corruption police chief is under investigation for an alleged conflict of interest tied to a sweeping criminal probe in Nazareth, after a gag order was lifted on Wednesday.

Assistant-Chief Meni Benjamin, commander of the elite Lahav 433 crime-fighting unit, is suspected of maintaining undisclosed ties with a former Nazareth mayor while that official was under investigation for alleged financial entanglements with the Bakri crime organisation.

Lahav 433, sometimes described as "Israel's FBI," handles the country's highest-level investigations into organised crime, corruption, cybercrime, and sensitive national matters. The PID probe into its commander adds a dramatic and politically sensitive layer ...