Former Director General Criticizes Political Appointments Amidst Ayalon Highways Chairman's Probe
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
Former Government Companies Authority Director General Uri Yogev criticized political appointments following the investigation and dismissal of Ayalon Highways Chairman Idan David for alleged document forgery and fraud. Yogev called for appointments to be made exclusively from a vetted pool of professionals, not through political channels.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Former official criticizes political appointments after chairman's probe.
- Ayalon Highways chairman investigated for forgery and fraud.
- Official calls for appointments from vetted professional pool.
- Media highlighted discrepancies in chairman's experience.
- Chairman dismissed, denies allegations.
Uri Yogev, former Director General of the Government Companies Authority, has commented on the dismissal and investigation of Idan David, former Chairman of Ayalon Highways. David is being investigated on suspicion of perjury, aggravated document forgery, and fraud. Yogev, who also previously served as head of the Treasury's Budget Division and authored the book "Without Foreign Considerations," stated that "an exceptional case like Idan David's, which leads to investigation and dismissal, creates deterrence for other candidates for years to come." He believes the affair should be examined more broadly.
Yogev explained that while the Appointments Committee lacks deep investigative tools, the media played a crucial role in uncovering the findings. He attributed the challenge to the political system, which created an alternative track for appointments outside the professional "director pool" of 1,200 vetted individuals. "Appointments outside the pool are intended to arrange jobs from the top down," Yogev asserted, emphasizing that the pool includes representation from all sectors of Israeli society. He argued that a chairman's effectiveness is measured by public service outcomes, such as transportation efficiency and infrastructure maintenance.
As a conclusion, Yogev called to adhere strictly to selecting government company chairmen solely from the established director pool and to abandon the "parallel to the director pool" track. The investigation into Idan David, which began following a Channel 12 report revealing discrepancies in his presented professional experience, is being conducted by Lahav 433. Investigators are examining suspicions of forgery, use of forged documents, fraud, breach of trust, and submitting false affidavits. They are also exploring whether David acted alone or with assistance. David was dismissed in late September after the Appointments Committee decided to end his tenure, a decision upheld by a judge who noted that the committee likely would not have approved his appointment based on current information. David has denied the allegations, maintaining his appointment was lawful.