MK Sharren Haskel Testifies at Lahav 433 in State Comptroller Election Investigation

MK Sharren Haskel appeared at Lahav 433 on Sunday to provide testimony regarding the controversial election of Attorney Michael Regev as Israel's State Comptroller. Haskel was summoned following a sworn affidavit she submitted last week to the Supreme Court, alleging that she and her faction, New Hope, were illegally instructed to document their votes for Regev and submit the recordings to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This affidavit contradicted claims by the Likud party, which denied ordering any such documentation and asserted that any recordings were made voluntarily by individual MKs.

In her affidavit, Haskel stated that the Likud candidate was presented as the sole option, requiring New Hope members to support him without independent deliberation. She detailed that during the repeated vote mandated by the Supreme Court, New Hope MKs were compelled to record their votes on video and show the footage to Netanyahu as proof. Haskel acknowledged awareness of potential penalties for false testimony and confirmed the accuracy of her statements based on personal knowledge.

The Supreme Court had invalidated the initial vote for State Comptroller and ordered a new vote. The Attorney General's legal advisor, Gali Baharav-Miara, instructed Lahav 433 to summon Haskel to clarify the conflicting affidavits submitted by her and the Likud party. The investigation centers on whether there was an unlawful directive to breach voting secrecy in the parliamentary election for the State Comptroller position.

This development is part of a broader political and legal dispute over the integrity of the State Comptroller election process and the conduct of party members under Prime Minister Netanyahu's leadership. Further proceedings are expected as the investigation continues.