Israel's Road Authority Chairman Ousted After Investigation Reveals Discrepancies

The committee for examining appointments has decided to remove Idan David from his position as chairman of the Ayalon Highways Company, following an investigative report by Channel 12 News. The decision came after the head of the Investigations and Intelligence Department ordered a probe into David on suspicion of forgery and other offenses.

The committee cited "reasonable suspicion of extreme incompatibility between the information submitted to the committee and on which it relied, and data that allegedly emerge from materials on which there is no similar suspicion or any suspicion at all." They concluded that David's appointment, approved in August 2025, must be canceled, stating that leaving it in place could damage public trust in government companies and the appointment committee itself.

The Channel 12 investigation, aired last Wednesday, revealed alleged significant discrepancies between the details David presented during his appointment process and findings from the news outlet's review. These discrepancies reportedly involve his work experience at Magdilit Company, where he claimed to have served as deputy CEO of a company with substantial revenues and employees. However, documents suggested significantly lower figures, and the accountant whose signature appeared on an approval stated they had not provided it and had no connection to the company. The former CEO of Magdilit also denied David's role as deputy CEO.

David is also required to provide evidence for the activities of GROUP IDY, a company he stated employed around 320 people with significant revenues and assets. He had previously claimed he lacked documented information from external sources regarding this company's operations. The Government Companies Authority has demanded a full written response, supported by a sworn affidavit, by Tuesday evening.

The authority warned that submitting inaccurate details could be grounds for non-appointment and might lead to criminal proceedings. They also stated that if the information proves false, his appointment approval could be revoked, and his tenure terminated.