Upheaval at Police Internal Investigations Department: Official in Charge of Ben Gvir Associates' Probe Seeks Transfer
A senior attorney at the Police Internal Investigations Department (Mahash), who was the right hand of outgoing department head Keren Bar Menachem and oversaw the investigation into associates of Minister Ben Gvir, has requested to end her role and move to the Appeals Department of the State Attorney's Office. The move occurs while the handling of the case has not yet concluded. The State Attorney's Office stated that the request was submitted before Bar Menachem's tenure ended and is unrelated to the case.
A senior attorney at the Police Internal Investigations Department (Mahash) has requested to end her role and move to the Appeals Department of the State Attorney's Office, as learned today (Thursday) by ynet. The senior official, considered the "right hand" of outgoing Mahash head, attorney Keren Bar Menachem, was responsible, among other things, for the case involving associates of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, in which Deputy Commander Avishai Muallem, Prisons Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakovi, the minister's chief of staff Hanamel Dorfman, and others were investigated. The move occurs while the handling of the case has not yet concluded, and after the attorney was involved in accompanying the investigation from its first day. The State Attorney's Office responded: "The attorney moved at her request to another unit, a request submitted before Mahash head Keren Bar Menachem finished her role, and it has no connection to the handling of this or any other case. The case will be handled as usual." About a year and a half ago, Mahash opened a covert investigation into senior police and National Security Ministry officials, centered on then-commander of the Judea and Samaria District Police, Deputy Commander Avishai Muallem, who is suspected of refraining from arresting far-right activists and leaking classified information to the minister's office in exchange for promotion. Subsequently, suspicion arose that Prisons Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakovi passed information to Muallem about a covert investigation into him, and in April, the Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara announced intention to file an indictment against him.