State Comptroller election scandal: MK Haskel gives testimony to police
As revealed by Ynet, the chair of "Israel Techila" was summoned to testify after she told the Supreme Court that she was required to show Benjamin Netanyahu documentation of her vote in the State Comptroller election.
MK Sharren Haskel is giving testimony this morning (Sunday) at the Lahav 433 unit as part of a police inquiry into the election of attorney Michael Ravilo as State Comptroller. As revealed by Ynet, Haskel, chair of the "Israel Techila" party, was summoned to testify after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Attorney Amit Aisman ordered the police to investigate whether she or the Likud party submitted a false affidavit regarding photography in the Knesset during the vote.
Haskel wrote in an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court that she was required to show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu documentation of her vote in the State Comptroller election — which was disqualified by the Supreme Court, which ordered a new vote. Haskel wrote in the affidavit:
"The Likud candidate was presented as a candidate whom members of the 'New Hope' faction were required to support, without reservation and without the possibility of expressing an independent position. As part of the repeat voting round, members of the 'New Hope' faction were required to document their vote by video recording themselves and presenting the documentation to the Prime Minister, a member of the Likud faction, as evidence of how they voted."
Haskel confirmed that she is aware that she is subject to penalties if she does not declare the truth, and added: "At the time of the State Comptroller election, the 'New Hope-National Right' faction did not have an independent position on this matter, and no discussion took place in the faction for the purpose of formulating an independent position or making a decision on its behalf. The facts detailed in this affidavit are known to me from personal knowledge, and they are true to the best of my knowledge and belief."
In the Likud, it should be recalled, they repeatedly claimed that there was no instruction for the Knesset members to violate secrecy and take photos. In an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the Likud wrote that "the photos were taken on the personal initiative of the Knesset members, without any demand being made of them to do so."
The contradiction in the parties' versions led the Attorney General to order the taking of open testimony from Haskel — in order to clarify with her what the instruction was, and who gave it. Depending on the details that Haskel provides, a decision may be made to open a criminal investigation to check whether a false affidavit was submitted to the Supreme Court regarding the vote.
The Supreme Court, as mentioned, disqualified the elections held in the Knesset between Netanyahu's attorney Ravilo and retired Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron. The judges determined that a fundamental flaw occurred in the election process, and ordered a new vote — which has not yet taken place. The disqualification occurred after a number of Knesset members photographed themselves during the vote, which is supposed to be secret by law.
