Former Military Attorney General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi Expected to Accept Plea Deal Amid Legal Controversy

Following a Supreme Court ruling allowing the prosecution to resume involvement in the case against former Military Attorney General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, legal sources indicate she is likely to accept a plea bargain. Under this deal, Tomer-Yerushalmi would admit to the charges against her and receive a sentence enabling her to close the case and return to normal life. This development was reported on Thursday evening by Channel 14.

A senior legal official told Channel 14 that both the civilian and military prosecution prefer to avoid a full trial, especially since Tomer-Yerushalmi has already admitted to the offenses. The official warned that reopening the case fully could "open Pandora's box." One significant aspect of the plea deal relates to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, as resolving the case this way would reduce the likelihood that she would have to testify or potentially be investigated herself.

The Supreme Court decision came a day earlier, rejecting petitions concerning the continuation of the investigation into leaks and false testimony in the Shde Teman affair. The three-judge panel, led by Supreme Court President Isaac Amit and including Judges David Mintz and Khaled Kabub, unanimously ruled that the court should not direct police investigative actions. However, there was disagreement over oversight of the investigation. Amit and Kabub ruled that the Attorney General may now oversee the investigation and denied the Justice Minister more time to appoint an external supervisor. Judge Mintz dissented, advocating for the Justice Minister to justify not appointing an external overseer.

Following this ruling, the previous prohibition on the prosecution's involvement in the case was lifted. Consequently, the prosecution is now considering concluding the matter with a plea deal rather than proceeding to a full trial against Tomer-Yerushalmi.