Israeli Police Probe Ministry of Transport Officials Over Conflict of Interest
Israeli police are investigating senior Ministry of Transport officials over suspected conflicts of interest involving secondary employment with airlines, including Flydubai.
Following the Flydubai controversy and reports regarding secondary employment of senior officials at the Ministry of Transport, the police have launched an investigation over suspected conflicts of interest.
The first official under review is Avi Cohen, head of the security division at the Ministry of Transport. It was recently revealed that in addition to his primary role, he has been working as a security coordinator, flying to international airports abroad to oversee security on behalf of Israeli airlines.
The second official, Dvir Rubinstein, who provides outsourced services to the ministry and oversees aviation safety, was recently reported to operate a private company offering consulting and training services to airlines. Furthermore, reports indicated that Rubinstein received funds from Flydubai.
Regarding Avi Cohen, he has held this concurrent job since 2018. The Ministry of Transport initially claimed he had received approval for the secondary work, but later conceded that he must terminate it. Management emphasized that once the external employment came to light, he was instructed to cease all secondary work immediately unless proper authorization was secured.
Both officials drew public scrutiny following the Flydubai incident and the core responsibilities of their division, which sets security protocols for land, air, and sea transport in Israel, including security assessments for foreign flights and issuing safety directives to airlines.
