Police Investigate Potential Conflict of Interest for Two Senior Transport Ministry Officials
Translated & summarized from Haaretz by baba
Israeli police are investigating two senior Ministry of Transport officials, Avri Cohen and Dvir Rubinstein, for potential conflicts of interest due to outside employment. Cohen allegedly worked as an airport security officer abroad without proper approval, while Rubinstein reportedly received payments from airlines he oversees. Both officials deny wrongdoing, with the ministry stating Rubinstein's outside work was approved.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Police are investigating potential conflicts of interest for two senior Ministry of Transport officials.
- Avri Cohen, head of security, allegedly worked an unapproved paid job overseas.
- Dvir Rubinstein, aviation security director, reportedly received payments from airlines he supervises.
- Cohen claims he had approval for his outside work, but former officials deny this.
- Rubinstein's outside work was approved by the ministry, which stated he is an outsourced contractor.
Israeli police are investigating allegations of conflict of interest against two senior officials in the Ministry of Transport. Avri Cohen, the head of the ministry's Security Department, and Dvir Rubinstein, director of the Aviation Security Operations Center, are suspected of holding additional paid positions that may conflict with their official duties.
Cohen, who is responsible for inspecting foreign aircrews arriving in Israel, reportedly works part-time as a security officer at an overseas airport for Israeli airlines. This role is separate from his government position and comes with separate compensation. Cohen claims he received approval for this work in 2018 from the then-Director-General of the Ministry of Transport, Keren Turner. However, both Turner and two other senior officials from that period stated that Cohen never received such approval. Cohen did not provide "Haaretz" with documentation of the alleged approval.
Rubinstein is also reportedly engaged in outside employment. According to reports, he allegedly received payment from Flydubai for consulting and training services. Rubinstein, whose role involves overseeing foreign airlines, also reportedly worked for Emirates. The investigation revealed that Rubinstein, who has been employed as a freelancer in his sensitive position for 19 years, is the owner of a private company named "Dvir" and also lectured on security at the Police's Sigma 005 college.
The Ministry of Transport stated that Rubinstein provides services through outsourcing and is not a state employee. They added that his additional activities were legally approved and conducted outside his working hours related to his contract with the ministry.
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