State Comptroller-Elect Rejects High Court Challenges to His Election

State Comptroller-elect Michael Ravilo, an attorney, has filed his response to petitions submitted to the High Court of Justice challenging the process that chose him for the post. He rejected all claims against him and against the election procedure, saying his selection was lawful.

Ravilo also denied that any instruction was given to document the vote. "No instruction to document was given," he said, adding that there is no ban on self-recording. He argued that the situation cannot now be reversed, partly because one Knesset member from Yesh Atid has already resigned from parliament.

In response to accusations about his closeness to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ravilo wrote that Israeli law allows "honest, upright, and principled people" to serve faithfully and objectively even if they previously had ties to the officials who appoint or oversee them. He said this is possible thanks to the safeguards in the Basic Law and the State Comptroller Law, which ensure the comptroller's independence.

Ravilo said he intends to serve in a national, nonpartisan manner and to represent all Israelis. "I will carry out the role with a deep sense of responsibility toward all citizens of Israel," he wrote. The day before, retired Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron, who ran against Ravilo for the job, joined the petitioners' position and said the vote that elected Ravilo was invalid. Elron also asked to freeze Ravilo's entry into office, but did not join the claims about Ravilo's ties to Netanyahu.