Israel's High Court rules Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana violated court order on comptroller vote

Israel's High Court of Justice ruled that Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana violated a previous court order by failing to schedule a new vote for State Comptroller, harming governance. The court dismissed the petition due to the election of the 26th Knesset and ordered Ohana to pay 10,000 shekels in costs.

The High Court of Justice today (Tuesday) rejected a petition against Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, but ruled that his avoidance of holding a repeat vote for the position of State Comptroller constitutes a violation of a court ruling and a serious harm to the order of government. The petition was filed following the turmoil of the elections last June, in which retired judge Yosef Elron and Michael Ravilo, formerly the prime minister's lawyer, competed. The High Court annulled the results of the second round due to a flaw in the secrecy of the vote, but Ohana refrained from setting a date for a repeat vote, arguing that it should wait for the next Knesset. The court ordered Ohana to pay costs of 10,000 shekels.