Finance Ministry Halts Payments to IDF Legal Chief Despite Chief of Staff's Orders

Michal Abadi-Boiangiu, the Accountant General at Israel's Finance Ministry, has suspended payments to former IDF Legal Advisor Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, contradicting a decision by Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. The move was revealed on Wednesday by ynet. Tomer-Yerushalmi's civilian lawyer protested to the IDF over the withholding of substantial sums.

According to Finance Ministry and Justice Ministry officials, the Chief of Staff's decision granted Tomer-Yerushalmi unusually generous financial terms amid unresolved criminal proceedings against her. Zamir expressed strong displeasure over the freeze and sent a letter to Abadi-Boiangiu asserting that the decision was within his sole authority. However, she remains firm in her stance.

In May, Zamir dismissed Tomer-Yerushalmi due to serious allegations including submitting a false affidavit to the Supreme Court and covering up the investigation into the leak of the Shai Teiman video. His decision included financial sanctions, allowing her to retain most retirement benefits worth millions of shekels, only withholding certain "Chief of Staff increments" as a disciplinary measure. Zamir believed this partial withholding matched the severity of her actions and was the maximum legally permissible.

Despite this, only part of the payments have been made, with the Finance Ministry halting the rest pending a professional review of the decision's reasonableness. The Accountant General questioned the appropriateness of the payments given the ongoing criminal case, arguing it was premature to finalize such financial terms before legal clarity.

The IDF stated Zamir's decision was unprecedented and severe, reflecting the gravity of her misconduct, and that he reserved the right to impose further sanctions, including demotion, depending on the investigation's outcome. The IDF called for dialogue with the Finance Ministry if there were disagreements over the authority and legality of the payments. The Finance Ministry declined to comment.