Israel's Government Companies Authority Probes Chairman's Credentials

Israel's Government Companies Authority is investigating Idan David, the chairman of Netivei Ayalon, following allegations of significant discrepancies between his professional experience and the data he presented during his candidacy for the position and information received by the authority after his appointment.

The inquiry was prompted by a Channel 12 investigative report aired Wednesday, which revealed potential misrepresentations. The authority has given David until next Tuesday to respond, requiring a sworn affidavit from a lawyer.

David was appointed to Netivei Ayalon's board in July 2025 and elected chairman later that month. The appointment committee had determined in August 2025 that he met the experience requirements, citing his tenure as CEO of Ashkelon Municipality and as a deputy CEO at Migdalit. The authority's letter notes that his Ashkelon role lasted about 33 months, with the committee relying on data indicating the municipality managed a budget of approximately 2.5 billion shekels and employed around 260 people. For Migdalit, the committee was presented with figures showing the company had a balance sheet of about 1.1 billion shekels, revenues of roughly 814 million shekels, and 407 employees.

However, Channel 12 presented financial statements suggesting Migdalit's 2015 revenues were only about 16.9 million shekels and its balance sheet around 19.2 million shekels. Furthermore, the accountant, Yoram Barzani, whose approval was cited, denied signing the document or handling the company's reports. The authority also noted discrepancies regarding IDY GROUP, where David claimed to be CEO with revenues of 2.1 billion shekels, a 4.8 billion shekel balance sheet, and 320 employees. The authority is now requesting external, reliable documents to verify these operational scopes, especially given claims that the company headed by David's wife lacks offices.

The authority emphasized that providing inaccurate information during a government company appointment process can lead to disqualification, and that the appointment committee has the right to revoke an approval and terminate a tenure if false information is discovered. In response to the report, David stated that the appointment committee thoroughly examined his experience and documents, confirming he met the requirements and had no conflicts of interest. He asserted that any claim of document forgery or misuse is extremely serious and highlighted his management and development work, including the "Mishkenot Ha'umanim" neighborhood project, during his tenure in Kiryat Motzkin.