The High Court of Justice is hearing seven petitions seeking to overturn the election of Michael Ravilo, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal lawyer, as state comptroller. During the hearing, Justice Gila Kanfi-Steinitz said it must be examined whether Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana’s instruction allowing members to document the secret ballot affected Likud lawmakers. “People maybe thought they needed to be careful with their vote,” she said.
Kanfi-Steinitz also asked whether, if the court concludes that lawmakers’ recording of the vote undermines secrecy under legal standards, that could justify annulling the election. She added, “How does a ban on photographing in the polling booth harm political free speech? I do not understand,” and noted, “It may be that the rule we create will apply to Knesset elections.” Her remarks carry added weight because the panel is chaired by Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who also heads the Central Elections Committee.
Attorneys for the petitioners argued that the vote was tainted. Blue and White lawyer Eran Greenberg warned that recognizing a right to record a ballot would open “a very large recording industry” ahead of elections, and could empower primary vote brokers who can prove they delivered votes. Amit Mor, representing the Israeli Movements and Brothers in Arms and social activist Ya’ari Pink, said Ravilo had represented the prime minister and ministers in 55 different cases since 2020 and could not be expected to review Likud’s expenses. Justice Kanfi-Steinitz replied that no person is disqualified solely for a conflict of interest, because such problems are handled through conflict-of-interest arrangements.
Yesh Atid lawyer Eliram Bakal said secrecy is not a right of an individual lawmaker to waive and trade away, but a duty protecting all MKs. Israel Bar Association representative Idan Sagar said photographing a ballot is equivalent to bringing the party chairman into the booth. The lawyer for MK Naama Lazimi, Dalit Holtz-Lechner, argued that the Knesset legal adviser should have warned MKs about Ravilo’s conflict of interest, calling it “an extreme case unlike any other.” Ravilo’s legal team, led by Ilan Bombach for Netanyahu and Likud, argued the petitions should be dismissed immediately because no evidence was shown that such an instruction existed.
The state comptroller term of Matanyahu Englman ends at the end of the month. On June 3, the Knesset held the election in which retired Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron led the first round with 60 votes, while Ravilo received 57. Since no candidate reached the required 61 votes, a second round was held and required only a simple majority. Ravilo then won 61 votes to Elron’s 57. The seven petitions seek to invalidate that result and order a fresh election.
